William, Catherine and Family: Annual Holiday to Mustique (2012-2015, 2018-2019)

[GracieGiraffe]

I personally think they are more annoyed that the press let the world know that they are on a beach enjoying this glorious vacation (rather than flying helicopters, helping out gran with royal duties, home retching from HG, home shooting off email to various charities one represents), rather than the photos itself.

They can't very well moan that their vacation has been made public, so they will moan about the photos. And yes, any comment from their spokespeople is a "moan" or a "complaint" on the matter when other royals, including their own family members, never utter a word.

 

[Dman]

William had the fortune or misfortune, depending on how you look at it, to be born Diana's son, and that is the reason he and his wife are celebrities no matter how much they don't want to be. And they are celebrities. Diana made herself and her children celebrities. I am fairly sure that if Charles had married Camilla, or Davina Sheffield, or Lady Jane Wellesley, or maybe even Lady Sarah Spencer, instead of Diana, their children would not be attracting the same level of attention from the public and, by extension, the press.

I think the media would've hounded Charles's children no matter who he had married back in the day. The British royals are one of, if not the most respected and well known royal families on this planet. They are treated very unfairly in many ways though.

I think Wiliam & Harry are very proud to be able to call Diana their mother and probably wouldn't change that for nothing in the world.

Roslyn, I don't think William is threatening to take legal action over the photos. I wouldn't blame him if he did but the royal reporters said that the palace don't have any plans to do much about the pictures. Catherine has stood up for her privacy before and I think if she felt totally wronged, she will do so in the future.

 

[casualfan]

Just popping in to say that if I had paid a lot of money for a fancy holiday at a fancy resort, and I was lounging around enjoying myself on the public beach near the fancy resort, and taking photographs of the goings-on on said public beach, and William and Kate were also there on the public beach and were mingling and enjoying themselves on said public beach - or even just walking along said public beach - I would take photographs of them, and if some magazine offered me $150,000 or so for those photographs, you can be damn sure I would sell them. No qualms whatsoever.

IMO- That is disgusting. I would say, 'it's all fun and games until someone dies because of these publicity hawkers,' meaning the photographers, but people ALREADY HAVE, all in the pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Again, just because someone is in the public eye doesn't mean they should be stripped of their rights.

And there is also something wrong with the people who get a vicarious thrill out of snooping into others' lives.

Seriously, I despair for humanity right now.

 

[soapstar]

Maybe she needs to pick up the phone and have a chat with mary who seems to have handled the paps well.

Princess Mary doesn't receive nearly the amount of press attention that Kate and the BRF do. The press coverage of the Danish royals here in the US, is pretty much non-exsistence, while Kate can't even sneeze without being on every tabloid cover, news program and entertainment show. I don't think Mary would really be able to offer much advice.

 

[Dman]

Princess Mary doesn't receive nearly the amount of press attention that Kate and the BRF do. The press coverage of the Danish royals here in the US, is pretty much non-exsistence, while Kate can't even sneeze without being on every tabloid cover, news program and entertainment show. I don't think Mary would really be able to offer much advice.

I think the other European royals are very happy and breath a sigh of relief that they don't have the same media pressure as the British royals do. They can do their royal duties, live their private lives and take some time off without the whole world dancing on their tonsils for every little thing. Queen Margarethe II of Denmark touched on this subject a bit in her CNN interview last year.

 

[Terri Terri]

I agree! And anyway, why should Crown Princess Mary need to give the Duchess of Cambridge any advice? She dated Prince William for almost 10 years didn't she? The Duchess went into her marriage with her eyes wide open and was well aware of the massive press scrutiny she would face!
Crown Princess Mary must be thanking God that she is not in the Duchess of Cambridge's position!
As a matter of fact, I myself thank God that I am not in the Duchess of Cambridge's position!

 

[cepe]

Just popping in to say that if I had paid a lot of money for a fancy holiday at a fancy resort, and I was lounging around enjoying myself on the public beach near the fancy resort, and taking photographs of the goings-on on said public beach, and William and Kate were also there on the public beach and were mingling and enjoying themselves on said public beach - or even just walking along said public beach - I would take photographs of them, and if some magazine offered me $150,000 or so for those photographs, you can be damn sure I would sell them. No qualms whatsoever.

I agree with casualfan, I find this a dire approach. That anyone thinks that its ok to make money from a woman's body (cos that's what this is about) and her baby is very sad indeed.

I'm also surprised at the number of people (women mainly) who cannot empathise with Catherine. The "she made her bed, she can lie on it" attitude is pretty awful.

 

[corazon]

a blog have four photos published of chi.

 

[GracieGiraffe]

IMO- That is disgusting. I would say, 'it's all fun and games until someone dies because of these publicity hawkers,' meaning the photographers, but people ALREADY HAVE, all in the pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Again, just because someone is in the public eye doesn't mean they should be stripped of their rights.

And there is also something wrong with the people who get a vicarious thrill out of snooping into others' lives.

Seriously, I despair for humanity right now.

Um, every one of us on here, who spend our days and nights hanging out here, get a vicarious thrill out of snooping into the lives of others, the royal ones in this case. Including me. I mean, my God, we know all about them, more than they do. I think we all justify it by claiming it's all high brow with us because we know about all the dead royals too, and claim that that bit makes us history buffs. Let's face it, we here are the ones served by that press. We are the ones who strip them of their rights just as surely as they are the ones who stripped themselves of their winter clothing.

P.S. if you're going to despair for humanity on something, why not save it for children living in famine?

 

[EIIR]

I agree with casualfan, I find this a dire approach. That anyone thinks that its ok to make money from a woman's body (cos that's what this is about) and her baby is very sad indeed.

I'm also surprised at the number of people (women mainly) who cannot empathise with Catherine. The "she made her bed, she can lie on it" attitude is pretty awful.

You're so right, cepe. It's the same attitude that some here had when the DM printed a photo taken by a pap when Kate bent over on an engagement - well, she chose to wear a short skirt, what else did she expect? That just makes my skin crawl, because we all know where it inevitably leads. "She was asking for it" has been used as an excuse against women far too often for women to start making it themselves.

Presumably the same people would say that if your house is burgled while you're on holiday, it's clearly your own fault for choosing to leave the country. Your car gets stolen? Your own fault for buying a desirable model. Get knocked down crossing the road? Well, you should've just stayed on your own side of the street.

It would be quite funny were it not so sad.

 

[casualfan]

Um, every one of us on here, who spend our days and nights hanging out here, get a vicarious thrill out of snooping into the lives of others, the royal ones in this case. Including me. I mean, my God, we know all about them, more than they do. I think we all justify it by claiming it's all high brow with us because we know about all the dead royals too, and claim that that bit makes us history buffs. Let's face it, we here are the ones served by that press. We are the ones who strip them of their rights just as surely as they are the ones who stripped themselves of their winter clothing.

P.S. if you're going to despair for humanity on something, why not save it for children living in famine?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I have no desire to live vicariously thru them. I look at their fashion, I read about their work, and I'm interested in royal history. I have no interest in seeing their every move, especially if it's private.

And by the way, I despair of this situation because it represents a troubling combination of disrespect, unreasonableness, breach of privacy, and an abandonment of common decency-some of the qualities that I associate with man-made disasters like famine, too.

 

[Roslyn]

You're so right, cepe. It's the same attitude that some here had when the DM printed a photo taken by a pap when Kate bent over on an engagement - well, she chose to wear a short skirt, what else did she expect? That just makes my skin crawl, because we all know where it inevitably leads. "She was asking for it" has been used as an excuse against women far too often for women to start making it themselves.

Presumably the same people would say that if your house is burgled while you're on holiday, it's clearly your own fault for choosing to leave the country. Your car gets stolen? Your own fault for buying a desirable model. Get knocked down crossing the road? Well, you should've just stayed on your own side of the street.

It would be quite funny were it not so sad.

It is not a case of "she was asking for it". It's a case of she assumed the risks associated with the activity and should not be surprised at the result. A fine, but important, distinction. If a woman wears skimpy clothes and goes into a room full of drunken men late at night alone and acts provocatively, she runs the risk of being touched improperly or even raped. Doesn't mean she deserves it, or that it isn't assault or rape. Just means she should have known better and shouldn't be surprised.

Just as a person who leaves their house unattended assumes the risk it will be burgled; just as a person who buys a fancy car assumes the risk it will be stolen; and just as a person who crosses the road assumes the risk that a person who is not paying attention will run them down. Doesn't mean their insurer should not pay out on their claim, for insurance is all about risk. It means that people who know the risk should not being surprised, and should be prepared to deal with the consequences.

In the case of Kate on Mustique, don't walk along a public beach in a bikini if you don't want to be photographed.

 

[MARG]

I agree! And anyway, why should Crown Princess Mary need to give the Duchess of Cambridge any advice? She dated Prince William for almost 10 years didn't she? The Duchess went into her marriage with her eyes wide open and was well aware of the massive press scrutiny she would face!
Crown Princess Mary must be thanking God that she is not in the Duchess of Cambridge's position!
As a matter of fact, I myself thank God that I am not in the Duchess of Cambridge's position!

OK, let's get real here. Mary is Mary, lives in Denmark and, most important of all, is not Catherine! As is so often said, "you can't compare apples and oranges".

Now to the subject at hand. William and Catherine are both said to be smart, intelligent 30 something year olds. They even have a degree apiece. Could someone please explain to me why, knowing as they did that there was virtual bounty on the first photo of "The Baby Bump", they decided to holiday in a public place and stroll down the beach in swim wear, and her in a bikini no less?

They are both veterans of paparzzi camera shots (many less than flattering) from clubbing in London, saw Harry embarrassed to the nth degree courtesy of camera phones, and yet they chose to put themselves out there, in full view of anyone who knew who they were, and then have SJP publicly whine about invasion of privacy when someone took the absolutely inevitable photo.

It is not a good look. It makes them look like they have an overweening sense of entitlement and I don't know about most of you, but I am wondering what sort of person does that. The rest of his family (Harry notwithstanding) keep their heads down, play the game and pick their battles on solid ground. I was right behind them about the invasion of privacy in France because they were in private at someone's private home where they had, not only an expectation of privacy, but a legal one as well.

In this case exactly the opposite is true.

 

[casualfan]

In the case of Kate on Mustique, don't walk along a public beach in a bikini if you don't want to be photographed.

But why should anyone want to take a pic of her on vacation ANYWAY? That's the point.

 

[soapstar]

I personally think they are more annoyed that the press let the world know that they are on a beach enjoying this glorious vacation (rather than flying helicopters, helping out gran with royal duties, home retching from HG, home shooting off email to various charities one represents), rather than the photos itself.

They can't very well moan that their vacation has been made public, so they will moan about the photos. And yes, any comment from their spokespeople is a "moan" or a "complaint" on the matter when other royals, including their own family members, never utter a word.

That's actually not true. The BRF has complained quite a few times. In one of my earlier posts, I stated that the Queen called the leaked vacation photos of Prince Charles and Diana, "one of the darkest days in journalism. Quite a few times, Diana filed complaints and threatened to sue when vacation photos of her, William and Harry were published. She also won a lawsuit when a hidden camera took photos of her at the gym. I also recall Prince Philip snapping at a photographer that was taking pictures of him.

Let's also not forget that the Queen put her foot down and stopped photographers from being able to photograph the royals at Sandringham.

The new get-tough approach has the full support of the Prince of Wales, Prince William, Prince Harry and other senior members of the Royal family, who are now prepared to take legal action against what they see as the "intrusive and unacceptable behaviour" of photographers.

Several freelance photographers usually spend many hours a day touring Sandringham in the hope of "snatching" photographs of the Royal family on the estate.

However, senior aides at both Buckingham Palace and Clarence House have told The Sunday Telegraph that they will no longer tolerate photographers using telephoto lenses to capture pictures of the Royal family in "private" situations.

Until now, the Royal family has, reluctantly, turned a blind eye to such photographs provided they were taken from public roads and they did not involve trespass on private land. Source

This quote from the article, sums up how William and the BRF feel about privacy.

"Members of the Royal family feel they have a right to privacy when they are going about everyday, private activities," he told The Sunday Telegraph.

"They recognise there is a public interest in them and what they do, but they do not think this extends to photographing the private activities of them and their friends."

And I'm sure other European royals have made complaints or asked for the media to give them a bit of privacy too.

 

[Roslyn]

But why should anyone want to take a pic of her on vacation ANYWAY? That's the point.

$$$$$$$$$$

If you were vacationing on that beach when she walked by, are you really going to tell us that you would not take a photo if you had a camera with you? Maybe if you did, you would just keep it as a private memento, but I reckon most people would sell if they were offered a three figure sum for their snaps.

People buy magazines because they contain photos of Kate, and - for some reason which I find completely unfathomable - seem to want to particularly see her "bump". And they'll see her "bump" in the raw, unobscured by clothing of any sort, since she's wearing a bikini.

 

[Andolini]

It is not a case of "she was asking for it". It's a case of she assumed the risks associated with the activity and should not be surprised at the result. A fine, but important, distinction. If a woman wears skimpy clothes and goes into a room full of drunken men late at night alone and acts provocatively, she runs the risk of being touched improperly or even raped. Doesn't mean she deserves it, or that it isn't assault or rape. Just means she should have known better and shouldn't be surprised.

Just as a person who leaves their house unattended assumes the risk it will be burgled; just as a person who buys a fancy car assumes the risk it will be stolen; and just as a person who crosses the road assumes the risk that a person who is not paying attention will run them down. Doesn't mean their insurer should not pay out on their claim, for insurance is all about risk. It means that people who know the risk should not being surprised, and should be prepared to deal with the consequences.

In the case of Kate on Mustique, don't walk along a public beach in a bikini if you don't want to be photographed.

I agree, she should just lock herself in Buckingham Palace or wherever and order takeout for the rest of her life.

 

[regardez]

Is there a reason people aren't posting the pictures in the thread? Star magazine has them...

Kate Middleton's Pregnant Bikini Pics Were PUBLISHED! | Perezitos.com

Is her hair naturally curly? It is really frizzy in the cover picture.

 

[Andolini]

Is there a reason people aren't posting the pictures in the thread? Star magazine has them...

Kate Middleton's Pregnant Bikini Pics Were PUBLISHED! | Perezitos.com

Is her hair naturally curly? It is really frizzy in the cover picture.

Why are people so excited over bikini photos? They are bikini photos, and there have been many pictures of women in bikinis before now.

 

[cinrit]

We can despair for humanity in many areas without mentioning all of them.

And I don't see anything wrong with a husband defending his wife. As old-fashioned as it may seem, it proves to me that chivalry is not dead, which is a good thing.

 

[Osipi]

I agree, she should just lock herself in Buckingham Palace or wherever and order takeout for the rest of her life.

These are just my own opinions and thoughts but to be honest, at the time these photos were snapped, I wouldn't be one bit surprised if William and Kate half expected them to be. They've been going to Mustique for a while now and its a yearly thing it seems for the Middletons. I've seen it reported where they like to go to one place and enjoy karaoke. They probably interact quite often on these trips with others on the same island they are on. Its what most vacationing couples tend to do.

Actually they very well could have anticipated that this outing on the beach could very well turn into a photo op. They just didn't invite the press.

 

[Andolini]

We can despair for humanity in many areas without mentioning all of them.

And I don't see anything wrong with a husband defending his wife. As old-fashioned as it may seem, it proves to me that chivalry is not dead, which is a good thing.

Very nicely put. I am "liberal" as far as women's issues go, but all I see is one human being caring for another, not gender. I didn't connect gender until someone brought it up. It simply is a person defending another person.

 

[PrincessofEurope]

Part of me understands why Willanm and Kate aren't impressed that a private holiday has been photographed and published.

But - as many have commented when you are in public areas then it is impossible not to stop pictures being taken whether by other holiday makers to paps. If these pictures had been taken off them in the private confines of their villa THEN i could justify more outrage but they werent they were in a public area and therefore impossible to police. There have been numerous pictures of the couple on holiday before whether in Mustique (ones surfaced last year from a the beach/picnic, boarding aircraft, boat trips and waterskiing ones from a few years back) or Ibizia ones (Kate in a white bikini on a yacht) and there hasnt been the same disappointed response from SJP or no british press publishing them. What is the difference with this years pictures then????

The pictures i do have problem with are the French ones from last year that should never have been published and the couple were justified in their lawsuit. Those pictures where taken of the couple when they were in the private confines of the house they were staying at and are completely different from the ones emerging from Mustique.

 

[RJC]

Ahh Mustique...the royals have been photographed on this island forever, or at least way back when Princess Margaret and various partners stayed there. I think it's the same place where a very pregnant Dianna was photographed in a bikini.

There is a great deal of fascination with Kate and this first heir and I imagine photographers who would have jumped at the opportunity for a photo to sell. And yes I do think William and Kate deserve privacy but this island has some history for lack of it - and I googled to find the photographs today to see what all the fuss was about (guilty)!

 

[MARG]

. . . Is her hair naturally curly? It is really frizzy in the cover picture.

If the air has any damp or humidity in it hair tends to frizz a little. The "public" Catherine we see has dressed for the occasion and had her hair done, either by a salon or herself. Long hair takes time and work for any woman, more if you are in the public eye.

 

[PrincessofEurope]

Is there a reason people aren't posting the pictures in the thread? Star magazine has them...

Kate Middleton's Pregnant Bikini Pics Were PUBLISHED! | Perezitos.com

Is her hair naturally curly? It is really frizzy in the cover picture.

Yes Kate has naturally curly hair - there are pictures of her as a teenager and university days with her hair curly like in the mustuqie picture linked. Also on her Asia and Pacific island tour you go see her hair starting to frizz cause of the humidity.


I would also agree with posters that maybe doing a photocall on the beach with an accredited press that it might help the pap situation as then the pictures would not be as valubale. Take the big money market away by granting a few posed pictures. Try this and seee if it works at least

 

[cinrit]

Just a reminder that the statement from SJP did not say that William and Kate (or anyone else) are surprised. It didn't say that anyone is outraged. It didn't say anyone was considering bringing suit. It just said that the Palace is disappointed. In my opinion, that's a pretty mild statement, and says more about being resigned than anything else.

 

[Roslyn]

I think they'd have been better to say nothing, than to say they are "disappointed". It sounds like a scolding for a child to try and make them feel bad about their behaviour. Fat chance of that happening!

 

[soapstar]

Is her hair naturally curly? It is really frizzy in the cover picture.

Yeah, her hair is naturally curly. There's a few photos of her hair in its natural state.

I agree Dman and Teri Teri. I don't think Mary, or the other European ladies would want the kind of press attention that comes with the BRF.

 

[AfricanAUSSIE]

...So, are they back in the UK yet?