Which isn't entirely surprising, given Kate is decidedly upper middle class? It strikes me that Will has obviously fully embraced that family life and lifestyle with her. He sees the stable home she was raised in and wants that for his kids. As much as is possible for children who are also in line to the throne.
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But they aren't really middle class though. They live in a palace with servants and also own a large pile in the country. If Kate had married into her parents class she would have a nanny and cleaner but not the maids butlers and the army of servants she has now. It was said when they married that William loved weekends with the Middleton's where he would help her dad wash the car and mow their lawn but without losing all his royal privileges that would be an entire different matter.
See I assumed Will and Kate didn't have loads of household staff. Not entirely sure why but I thought Nanny and housekeeper for sure, yet not butlers/maids etc. Though maybe they do have lots? I don't know.
However many staff they have I agree they're not really middle class regardless - it's a rarefied, weird existence.
It's most of all a life I would not enjoy!
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They possibly try to see staff as part of the job rather than personal, eg a nanny as the day care/childminder/babysitter that other working parents have. Kate won't cook all the time but she does cook (spoke of roasting a chicken and having Harry over for dinner when he was a bachelor) and cooks pizza etc with the children. Diana definitely had a cook and doesn't seem to have cooked at all. When Harry and Meghan married, William joked that at least Harry wouldn't be raiding their fridge all the time so he wouldn't go to it and find it empty. It's possible that when they don't have engagements they give staff time off in the evening and weekends which would give them the opportunity to try to emulate Kate's upbringing.
[To explain, I grew up abroad with staff because of my father's job and then with the usual family all mucking in during his leaves and after his retirement in the UK so I can see how the balance can work. Unlike others, we always fended for ourselves in the evenings unless we were entertaining and needed the staff then.]
Kate does have her personal hairdresser and stylist who go abroad with her. Her hairdresser saw Prince George before the Middleton's as she went to style Kate s hair before she faced the cameras.
Don't know about now but when she lived on Angelsey she would often be seen shopping in Waitrose at Menai Bridge.
Spot on, its not a role I'd take on thats for sure. Its not so much that they have an army of servants waiting on them hand and foot but they do stay in properties that require a lot staff to keep the homes well maintained. From what I've read things like meal times tend to be very informal and even the Queen is reported to enjoy putting her feet up and watching corrie street (quite a fan it seems); formal dining is reserved for formal occasions.
I have heard that too but her security guard was always with her as well, that is why she can never completely go back to the middle class lifestyle she was brought up in.
Yes he was always with her (there were photos in the press at the time) but nobody bothered her and she would greet people and get on with her shopping.
I am sure that Kate can rustle up s tasty dinner with the best of them. However the future Queen could not have been seen red faced in a pinny greeting the Obamas. Imagine her spending the day sweltering over a hot stove.Then panicking half way through the Smoked salmon starter that the lasagne was burning and not being able to have her hair done before greeting her guests as the home made profiteroles took twice as long to make as she had thought.
She WAS middle class. Now she and Wills want people to think they are middle class just like them, so relatable, look at us in our all weather gear at the beach, nothing to see here but a typical mc family!
Well, that sort of dinner (plus the stylist and hairdresser) would come under staff required for the job. It may be different when it's just them and the children at home with no weekend/evening guests or engagement.
I am sure it is I was just kidding about Kate being hot and bothered about her profiteroles not turning out right for the Obamas.
My thoughts exactly it's all about PR and getting ordinary people to be able to identify with them.
Come dine with me - The royal version. I'd tune in for that
You know I was thinking that as I wrote itCome dine with me - The royal version. I'd tune in for that
I think both she and William took advantage of that time on Wales to live as normal a life as possible. I don't think there is any chance she just pops to the supermarket now. Life is very different now they are both full time royals.
She gets spotted from time to time in a supermarket in East Anglia, mostly with the two older children, looking at Halloween costumes/children's clothes/etc. People leave them alone but the fact does get reported.
Middle class in the UK is very different from middle class in the US though. Being stinky rich and having lots of staff means nothing. You can have all that and still be working class through and through.
Kate’s background is not exactly middle class as some might think of it. Maybe lower middle class at most. The middle class ideal, while still mocked by upper class and working class is definitely perpetuating itself as the ideal. Very similar to the Victorian ideals. Loving (traditional) family units, well mannered children playing in nature, a beautiful women creating a warm home.... it’s what all successful mummy vloggers/bloggers sell. That is what the middle class aspires to make themselves relevant and aspirational. Working class is either mocking it or trying to copy. Upper class is already mirroring it while still maintaining a snobbish attitude. I mean it is much easier if you have the connections, education and prospects. As well the the private estate to play farm on.
Wiliams and Kates PR is as obvious as it is good. They adhere to the current ideal. Middle class feels uplifted, working class won’t care and the toffs notice the tiny differences in the approach that show the royals are still upper class.
They will have to find a balance though. Embody the ideal but also the gracious, dutiful royal that cares about the lot of their people while also socialising with the elite. It was a good the decision to put the Cambridges up front. We all know how a anniversary video of Charles and Camilla would have gone down. But cute videos are not enough. They need the numbers to back it up and they are not exactly good at covering the regal side of things. Putting your money on the younger generation is smart. Charles reputation is tarnished. And while many might think he redeemed himself, he will never be off the hook. His reign will most likely not be long and there are concerns about his health already. At his age he could just drop dead and it wouldn’t be unusual. HMTQ might actually outlive him (not that I wish that on any parent). To ensure this dynasty surviving they need to implant them now. And that is exactly what they are doing. In the end- Europe is doing extremely well compared to the rest of the world. Those monarchies make no real difference for the life of the people like they used too. There is no real gain to get rid of them. It would be just symbolism. And I think we work on more pressing matters that actually hold influence in our societies.
Kate’s background is not exactly middle class as some might think of it. Maybe lower middle class at most. The middle class ideal, while still mocked by upper class and working class is definitely perpetuating itself as the ideal. Very similar to the Victorian ideals. Loving (traditional) family units, well mannered children playing in nature, a beautiful women creating a warm home.... it’s what all successful mummy vloggers/bloggers sell. That is what the middle class aspires to make themselves relevant and aspirational. Working class is either mocking it or trying to copy. Upper class is already mirroring it while still maintaining a snobbish attitude. I mean it is much easier if you have the connections, education and prospects. As well the the private estate to play farm on.
Wiliams and Kates PR is as obvious as it is good. They adhere to the current ideal. Middle class feels uplifted, working class won’t care and the toffs notice the tiny differences in the approach that show the royals are still upper class.
They will have to find a balance though. Embody the ideal but also the gracious, dutiful royal that cares about the lot of their people while also socialising with the elite. It was a good the decision to put the Cambridges up front. We all know how a anniversary video of Charles and Camilla would have gone down. But cute videos are not enough. They need the numbers to back it up and they are not exactly good at covering the regal side of things. Putting your money on the younger generation is smart. Charles reputation is tarnished. And while many might think he redeemed himself, he will never be off the hook. His reign will most likely not be long and there are concerns about his health already. At his age he could just drop dead and it wouldn’t be unusual. HMTQ might actually outlive him (not that I wish that on any parent). To ensure this dynasty surviving they need to implant them now. And that is exactly what they are doing. In the end- Europe is doing extremely well compared to the rest of the world. Those monarchies make no real difference for the life of the people like they used too. There is no real gain to get rid of them. It would be just symbolism. And I think we work on more pressing matters that actually hold influence in our societies.
I'm no fan of the Monarchy, but I agree with this. There is no point talking about a Republic because how would it happen? We are not going to have a French/ Russian style revolution, so they will stay, maybe until they decide to step down. The Royals want to cling onto their position as long as they possibly can, no matter how much Prince Harry thinks they are 'trapped by duty', they could decide to pack the whole thing in and give notice that they will phase themselves out whenever they like. It would hardly make any difference if we exchanged the Monarch for a ceremonial Head of State like the Irish one, apart from maybe to the pomp and ceremony. Fact is they want to keep their positions and their privilege for as long as they can, so they will do whatever it takes to minimise criticism of how much they cost and what the point of them is. They have an army of Press sycophants on their side, regurgitating every press release, so all they need to do is pump out stories about how amazing they are and the press will repeat it without criticism.
I agree they were left alone like any young couple.
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