William and Kate

[MUALover]

Regarding Kate's accomplishments - she graduated from college with a History of Art degree. But she never used her degree in any job (to a meaningful degree) and spent a decade waiting for William and going on vacations with him and her family.

People say she does photography and plays sports well. OK - yes at an amateur level. It's not like she was a prize winning photographer or a photographer who traveled to war zones to get the best shots. It's not like she won any awards playing tennis or skiing. Now winning medals at the Olympics or a Grand Slam - that would take actual hard work and dedication. Anyone can take some online Masterclasses in photography and get decent at it especially with the newest Digital cameras. Anyone can practice skiing for a few weeks a year in Switzerland (if they have the money to rent a chalet) or practice tennis in the summer (in their own tennis court in their home) and get proficient at both. Spare me the excuses for Kate's lack of accomplishments. Kate lived off the backs of her parents then the tax payers.

I have the greatest respect for Kate's parents though - they worked hard, found a niche for their businesses, and their children obviously benefited form their work and money.

 

[Vanillaco]

The Queen was incredibly poorly educated, as she was expected to be a minor Royal, and then marry an aristocrat. The rest of the Royals by birth arent very bright, considering how they struggle to get decent grades in a national blind marked exam, probably the first time where where their name counted for nothing, despite the best education money can buy. I dont think they would take too kindly or even be able to relate to any of the women mentioned above, because they arent clever enough. I would say Charles is the deepest thinker but Kate suits them mainly because she doesnt challenge their intellect too much.

 

[Eirawen]

The Queen was incredibly poorly educated, as she was expected to be a minor Royal, and then marry an aristocrat. The rest of the Royals by birth arent very bright, considering how they struggle to get decent grades in a national blind marked exam, probably the first time where where their name counted for nothing, despite the best education money can buy. I dont think they would take too kindly or even be able to relate to any of the women mentioned above, because they arent clever enough. I would say Charles is the deepest thinker but Kate suits them mainly because she doesnt challenge their intellect too much.

I agree you can go to the best schools but they won't make you clever. I doubt if Harry or even Wiliam would have got into Eton if they were not Royalty.

 

[Blurp]

The Queen was incredibly poorly educated, as she was expected to be a minor Royal, and then marry an aristocrat. The rest of the Royals by birth arent very bright, considering how they struggle to get decent grades in a national blind marked exam, probably the first time where where their name counted for nothing, despite the best education money can buy. I dont think they would take too kindly or even be able to relate to any of the women mentioned above, because they arent clever enough. I would say Charles is the deepest thinker but Kate suits them mainly because she doesnt challenge their intellect too much.

Certainly the main line is never going to set the heather on fire though William and Kate did get their anonymously marked A levels and degrees so there's a reasonable baseline.

However, the current Duke of Gloucester was a qualified and working architect and his elder brother (the Prince William the current one is named after) was a working diplomat, much as Empress Masako was. As members of a junior line, they knew that they had to find their own way, though the Kents didn't seem to have got the message at the same time.

 

[Eirawen]

Certainly the main line is never going to set the heather on fire though William and Kate did get their anonymously marked A levels and degrees so there's a reasonable baseline.

However, the current Duke of Gloucester was a qualified and working architect and his elder brother (the Prince William the current one is named after) was a working diplomat, much as Empress Masako was. As members of a junior line, they knew that they had to find their own way, though the Kents didn't seem to have got the message at the same time.

Some fair points here.

 

[maytoseptember]

I agree you can go to the best schools but they won't make you clever. I doubt if Harry or even Wiliam would have got into Eton if they were not Royalty.

Of course not. Prince Edward also got into Cambridge with CDD A levels.

 

[MUALover]

Certainly the main line is never going to set the heather on fire though William and Kate did get their anonymously marked A levels and degrees so there's a reasonable baseline.

However, the current Duke of Gloucester was a qualified and working architect and his elder brother (the Prince William the current one is named after) was a working diplomat, much as Empress Masako was. As members of a junior line, they knew that they had to find their own way, though the Kents didn't seem to have got the message at the same time.

Actually Princess Michael of Kent wrote some history books and they were really good. I was impressed by her knowledge, writing skills and overall tone. She wrote them for fun (obviously not for money) and for her own interests and passions so that is something to be admired as well. They were actually better written than a lot of real historians.

 

[Duchesspink]

Kate takes a few mediocre photos of her kids, she has a chef and no doubt a PT, she's also naturally slender. She doesn't have an athletic body at all. She's slim.
Shes got a history of art degree which comes in handy when your future husbands granny owns one of the biggest art collections in the world.
She doesn't look like a model, she's pretty, she's had botox, veneered her teeth and of course dyes her hair.
Shes just a regular woman like the rest of us except shes married to a Prince of the United Kingdom and lives in a guilded cage.
She doesn't have any big accomplishments except for wearing a pale lemon dress, tights and nude heels within hours of giving birth.
I feel sorry for her, the first couple of hours with her newborn babies were spent having hair, make up and dressing being done for the cameras

 

[whathastheworldcometo]

Well, she looked great straight after giving birth and it takes courage to present herself and the baby right after birth.
She got her figure back within a few days and always looks immaculate - hair and clothes, she might look frumpy but she dresses in a way that is still appropriate when she is Queen Consort and photos live forever.
She also always dresses appropriately.

When she participated in this sailing competition she wore shorts and her legs were so trained, it was astonishing.

Yes, she has a PT for sure, but all of the above still takes discipline - she might have the time, but she still needs to exercise


Eugenie and Bea don’t have the same track record of dressing well and Meghan neither - all of them have been criticized for how they dress (and some of their outfits were really bad) and Meghan also didn’t bounce back after pregnancy so quickly etc

 

[Vanillaco]

Well, she looked great straight after giving birth and it takes courage to present herself and the baby right after birth.
She got her figure back within a few days and always looks immaculate - hair and clothes, she might look frumpy but she dresses in a way that is still appropriate when she is Queen Consort and photos live forever.
She also always dresses appropriately.

When she participated in this sailing competition she wore shorts and her legs were so trained, it was astonishing.

Yes, she has a PT for sure, but all of the above still takes discipline - she might have the time, but she still needs to exercise


Eugenie and Bea don’t have the same track record of dressing well and Meghan neither - all of them have been criticized for how they dress (and some of their outfits were really bad) and Meghan also didn’t bounce back after pregnancy so quickly etc

Bouncing back after pregnancy is not an accomplishment and it is incredibly damaging to women to make it one.

 

[vikka]

Eug and Bea have eccentric taste at times. They also have more voluptuous bodies, so the clothes that were made for ultra slim women don't always look the best on them.

Kate and Meg are on a par in terms of dressing. Both have had fantastic outfits and downright ghastly ones.

Meg is more identifiable to the average woman - she's obviously working out and keeping fit, but didn't lose the baby weight at record track (still relatively quickly), but then her husband isn't rumoured to be into stick-thin women with a roving eye.

Kate has certainly not always dressed impeccably and there were for years leaks in the press of Liz being less than amused with Kate's dressing and gaffes.

 

[Duchesspink]

Is bouncing back after pregnancy the sign of something virtuous or important? A woman grows a baby for 9 months, it shouldn't matter if it takes a day, a week or months for her to lost all sign of the bump. Its a matter of healing and luck, its nothing you have control over.

Kate gets plenty of people talking about some of her outfit choices, she doesn't always get it right either and dresses very safe and old fashioned for her age.
She does have some beautiful outfits but not all of the time.

Just remembering seeing more of kates knickers when her short dresses would blow up around her arms, than I ever have of any other royal woman

 

[What a pile of crap]

Well, she looked great straight after giving birth and it takes courage to present herself and the baby right after birth.
She got her figure back within a few days and always looks immaculate - hair and clothes, she might look frumpy but she dresses in a way that is still appropriate when she is Queen Consort and photos live forever.
She also always dresses appropriately.

When she participated in this sailing competition she wore shorts and her legs were so trained, it was astonishing.

Yes, she has a PT for sure, but all of the above still takes discipline - she might have the time, but she still needs to exercise


Eugenie and Bea don’t have the same track record of dressing well and Meghan neither - all of them have been criticized for how they dress (and some of their outfits were really bad) and Meghan also didn’t bounce back after pregnancy so quickly etc

Are we seriously ranking women over who has bounced back better after pregnancy? This is wrong and sends completely the wrong message to any woman. Encouraging women to focus on their appearance and looking pleasing for others when they've given birth is dangerous and just reinforces pressure on women and the focus on appearances over substance.

 

[vikka]

I've come across these tweets and read some things and debated whether to post about this or not since opinions are quite split at times and I don't have the will to potentially argue.

Anyway.

Since this thread is going again here is a thread by a journalist on William, his relationship with the press and about the RH story and lack of press on it:



Will has the most complicated relationship with the press and has a quid pro quo going with them. This isn't new and I've written about it before, it's confirmed by journalists and was talked about by Meg (eg KP parties and trotting the kids out for the press, allowing access and leaking himself to buy silence for himself by selling others' stories, mostly the Ssexes).

I have read rumours on Will having several mistresses and him not always being with K and this has been a persistent rumour ever since they married (living apart at times).
Allegedly Rose and he became "closer" when K was away (where? London with the kids?) as well as R's husband and they had dinners together in Norfolk. I am certain this has been written about before in one of the articles.

The first whiff of the story came out in the mail with the "rural rivals" headline and K wanting to push R out of her circle, which seemed odd and had speculation of infidelity going by longtime royal watchers, not in the press just yet. All in all the story would have died, if Will hadn't then gone on to instead of sitting it out, but calling R Kay with stories on Meg, which was when a new line of stories came out about M and the then still unborn A. This really set the track in motion.
This is likely where the rumour came from that H's relationship with W broke down over the infidelity, it doesn't make sense since that isn't new. But the fact that W used H's wife and unborn child to throw under the bus became an issue. H was used to being W's punching bag (eg the partying years when H was the "party/playboy prince" when W was the same and at times worse), but dragging his wife into it was likely the stick that broke the camel's back. This is one of the things that H&M talked or alluded to in their interview, which is believable and to long time watchers and by jounalists' accounts quite true.
Interestingly, when the "rural rivals" story came out, so did pap pics of K with G (an absolute rarity and pap pics of the Cambs are always either done by the angry press or the Cambs themselves), with a ridiculous article spinning a "super mum K goes swimming with G in makeup and pearl earrings" story.

Consider also that W was with R when he was working on baby n3. Not even Charles did this to a pregnant Diana and by both C&D's accounts stepping out happened after heir&spare.

Cam was an open secret and the press knew, but they sat on the story all until Charles confessed to the affair in the Dimbleby interview.
Just to point this out for anyone saying the press wrote about C&D&C, they didn't, not till it was on record from the horse's own mouth. Before the Dimbleby interview, Cam was always referred to as "friend" by the press.

Some think W might be using Houghton in the same capacity that C&C used Anmer.
Interestingly, C&C's shack up place was Anmer, the Cambs's marital countryside home.

 

[Blurp]

Actually Princess Michael of Kent wrote some history books and they were really good. I was impressed by her knowledge, writing skills and overall tone. She wrote them for fun (obviously not for money) and for her own interests and passions so that is something to be admired as well. They were actually better written than a lot of real historians.

Pity about the accusations of plagiarism over the first two. I'm surprised that she didn't write them for money given how they're always saying how hard up they are, can't pay a proper rent etc. I also find it difficult to admire someone who has been racist in public.

ETA: Elizabeth, Duchess of York obviously had her girls educated to marry aristocrats like their Aunt Mary did; Alice, Duchess of Gloucester had her boys educated to earn their own livings. Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, seemed to expect her children to swan round being royal all the time; her two sons had military careers but nothing afterwards though the elder at least has royal duties as DoK.

 

[Eirawen]

Well, she looked great straight after giving birth and it takes courage to present herself and the baby right after birth.
She got her figure back within a few days and always looks immaculate - hair and clothes, she might look frumpy but she dresses in a way that is still appropriate when she is Queen Consort and photos live forever.
She also always dresses appropriately.

When she participated in this sailing competition she wore shorts and her legs were so trained, it was astonishing.

Yes, she has a PT for sure, but all of the above still takes discipline - she might have the time, but she still needs to exercise


Eugenie and Bea don’t have the same track record of dressing well and Meghan neither - all of them have been criticized for how they dress (and some of their outfits were really bad) and Meghan also didn’t bounce back after pregnancy so quickly etc

Beatrice and Eugenie have improved from their pantomime dame look of about 10 years ago their Mother had appalling dress sense too.

 

[Vanillaco]

also find it difficult to admire someone who has been racist in public.

Yes I was going say- shame shes an unrepentant racist then!

I've come across these tweets and read some things and debated whether to post about this or not since opinions are quite split at times and I don't have the will to potentially argue.

Anyway.

Since this thread is going again here is a thread by a journalist on William, his relationship with the press and about the RH story and lack of press on it:



Will has the most complicated relationship with the press and has a quid pro quo going with them. This isn't new and I've written about it before, it's confirmed by journalists and was talked about by Meg (eg KP parties and trotting the kids out for the press, allowing access and leaking himself to buy silence for himself by selling others' stories, mostly the Ssexes).

I have read rumours on Will having several mistresses and him not always being with K and this has been a persistent rumour ever since they married (living apart at times).
Allegedly Rose and he became "closer" when K was away (where? London with the kids?) as well as R's husband and they had dinners together in Norfolk. I am certain this has been written about before in one of the articles.

The first whiff of the story came out in the mail with the "rural rivals" headline and K wanting to push R out of her circle, which seemed odd and had speculation of infidelity going by longtime royal watchers, not in the press just yet. All in all the story would have died, if Will hadn't then gone on to instead of sitting it out, but calling R Kay with stories on Meg, which was when a new line of stories came out about M and the then still unborn A. This really set the track in motion.
This is likely where the rumour came from that H's relationship with W broke down over the infidelity, it doesn't make sense since that isn't new. But the fact that W used H's wife and unborn child to throw under the bus became an issue. H was used to being W's punching bag (eg the partying years when H was the "party/playboy prince" when W was the same and at times worse), but dragging his wife into it was likely the stick that broke the camel's back. This is one of the things that H&M talked or alluded to in their interview, which is believable and to long time watchers and by jounalists' accounts quite true.
Interestingly, when the "rural rivals" story came out, so did pap pics of K with G (an absolute rarity and pap pics of the Cambs are always either done by the angry press or the Cambs themselves), with a ridiculous article spinning a "super mum K goes swimming with G in makeup and pearl earrings" story.

Consider also that W was with R when he was working on baby n3. Not even Charles did this to a pregnant Diana and by both C&D's accounts stepping out happened after heir&spare.

Cam was an open secret and the press knew, but they sat on the story all until Charles confessed to the affair in the Dimbleby interview.
Just to point this out for anyone saying the press wrote about C&D&C, they didn't, not till it was on record from the horse's own mouth. Before the Dimbleby interview, Cam was always referred to as "friend" by the press.

Some think W might be using Houghton in the same capacity that C&C used Anmer.
Interestingly, C&C's shack up place was Anmer, the Cambs's marital countryside home.

That Atlantic article was interesting. Agree that Meghan should have done more research into the Royals, which would have made her run a mile! If Oprah really wanted to stick the knife into the Royals, she could have pointed out that Republics exist, so its hardly as if William and Charles are essential to the running of the State. If they are so burdened by their duty they could bugger off and it would make little difference, after the I Italian shockwaves. She could have particularly pointed out exactly what the 'Commonwealth' is- a way for the Royals to pretend they still have an Empire,by promising economic cooperation. Some members of the Public still think the East India Company is still going judging by the reaction to the Indian government using vaccines they had manufactured for themselves. Modi is a Nationalist hole himself, so they should have been kindred spirits!

 

[whathastheworldcometo]

Of course “bouncing back” after pregnancy is not an “accomplishment“ - what I tried to say was that Kate looked always great, even directly after pregnancy

And she always dressed appropriately - flying hens in the early years aside - and better than Bea, Eugie and Meghan (whatever the reasons might be).

Her outfits were never crumpled, too tight or mismatched.

She also never pulled embarrassing stunts lIke sitting alone at Wimbledon instructing people not to take photos (of themselves as it turned out), had a baby shower spectacle, asked for a job at a Disney premiere etc

I am not a big fan but she does represent the country well and is a great companion to the future king.

 

[What a pile of crap]

Of course “bouncing back” after pregnancy is not an “accomplishment“ - what I tried to say was that Kate looked always great, even directly after pregnancy

And she always dressed appropriately - flying hens in the early years aside - and better than Bea, Eugie and Meghan (whatever the reasons might be).

Her outfits were never crumpled, too tight or mismatched.

She also never pulled embarrassing stunts lIke sitting alone at Wimbledon instructing people not to take photos (of themselves as it turned out), had a baby shower spectacle, asked for a job at a Disney premiere etc

I am not a big fan but she does represent the country well and is a great companion to the future king.

Actually I prefer Meghan's style to Kate. Kate has dressed inappropriately with skirts flying up so why is she getting a pass but not the others? It is a matter of taste. You prefer Kate's 'appropriate' dressing, others find it dull and bland. The point is why are we discussing what they (only the women??) look like and not what they are doing? Surely that is a far better and healthier discussion. Or are we saying that the only part that matters for royalty is that they dress according to some outdated rule book because frankly of that's all we are bothered about I'm sure we can get that done by others and far more cheaply.

 

[whathastheworldcometo]

Actually I prefer Meghan's style to Kate. Kate has dressed inappropriately with skirts flying up so why is she getting a pass but not the others? It is a matter of taste. You prefer Kate's 'appropriate' dressing, others find it dull and bland. The point is why are we discussing what they (only the women??) look like and not what they are doing? Surely that is a far better and healthier discussion. Or are we saying that the only part that matters for royalty is that they dress according to some outdated rule book because frankly of that's all we are bothered about I'm sure we can get that done by others and far more cheaply.

I think we need to bear in mind what their role is and their function.

And senior members of the royal family they are representing the country. Their appearance is therefore important, if they look good they make the country look good.
This might be superficial, but this is how it is. Look at the Obamas, the Kennedys, Angela Merkel, the other European Royals - they all try to look their best.

None of them wears anything that an actor on the red carpet might wear, and vice versa, people in show business have a different style.

in addition, once William becomes king or the old photos will be looked at and Kate’s outfits will still look appropriate in 40 years.
Same with old photos of the Queen. And Joaquin Kennedy. And Angela Merkel and Michelle Obama.

Megan often wore outfits that were crumbled aNd simply too tight.
The dress she wore at the Disney premier was too tight, compared to how it should have looked. Even the light blue dress in the iconic rain photo is too tight.
I did not intend to body shame her, but during and after her pregnancy her outfits did not properly fit and a often were too tight.
Kate always wore outfits that fit properly. Even the short dresses did fit and suited her, despite them flying up in the wind.

she also has amazing hair, even when she was in Asia it looked great. And she’s very put together and stands out, I do not understand how people can say that she does not look good.

Again, I am not a big fan. I cannot imagine that she is a bit snobbish and a bit work shy, but she does look good when out and about.