General News for the Duchess of Cambridge 1: November 2010-February 2017


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cepe said:
I found the Express article interesting in that it mentions getting away from talking about frocks and rocks, and focusing on the issues that the royals support. And that is something I agree with.

I also agree with some of the criticism of Catherine and her lack of work ethic. Comparisons with Diana are not fair because Diana did not work flat out as some suggest, and she also had a full complement of staff, but changing perceptions of events 25 years ago is futile.

I think that the main issue is William. The Royal Prince and Duke who wants to live a "normal life". Well he cant unless he gives it all up and the sooner he understands that the better. Drifting about trying to come up with a worthwhile job to do is ridiculous when there is one waiting to be done. He is acting like a spoilt child.

RIchard Palmer says that what Catherine does depends on William's next move, but it has always depended on what William does.

They need to get on with royal duties. Catherine needs to add to her patronages and get out there, while there is still interest and charities can benefit.

Im disappointed but responsibility for the current state of affairs does not just lie with Catherine.
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Diana did work hard because of the position she was in but I hear you cepe. I too think the Cambridge's should go right into full time duties. I've become confused on the idea of William looking for another job in September.
 
cepe said:
I found the Express article interesting in that it mentions getting away from talking about frocks and rocks, and focusing on the issues that the royals support. And that is something I agree with.

I also agree with some of the criticism of Catherine and her lack of work ethic. Comparisons with Diana are not fair because Diana did not work flat out as some suggest, and she also had a full complement of staff, but changing perceptions of events 25 years ago is futile.

I think that the main issue is William. The Royal Prince and Duke who wants to live a "normal life". Well he cant unless he gives it all up and the sooner he understands that the better. Drifting about trying to come up with a worthwhile job to do is ridiculous when there is one waiting to be done. He is acting like a spoilt child.

RIchard Palmer says that what Catherine does depends on William's next move, but it has always depended on what William does.

They need to get on with royal duties. Catherine needs to add to her patronages and get out there, while there is still interest and charities can benefit.

Im disappointed but responsibility for the current state of affairs does not just lie with Catherine.
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And what are your views on Camilla? 9 years in and carries out half the number of engagements as her husband. Never thought of you as a Cambridge basher Cepe but there you go.
Why isn't Camilla using her global profile as Charles' wife to tackle world-wide poverty for instance??
 
Rudolph said:
And what are your views on Camilla? 9 years in and carries out half the number of engagements as her husband. Never thought of you as a Cambridge basher Cepe but there you go.
Why isn't Camilla using her global profile as Charles' wife to tackle world-wide poverty for instance??
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I'm not a Cambridge basher, but I call it as I see it. They are not helping the monarchy at all and William is at the heart of the problem. The reason that they get trivialised (frocks and rocks) is that they are never in the public eye long enough to really establish what they believe in and what their priorities are.

I'm hoping that with experience help on the PR front (never thought much of the KP PR team) this can be sorted, but they do not have all the time in the world.

As for doing a comparison with Camilla... I think for someone who has had to overcome real animosity and started public duties late in life she is doing well. And the positive impact on Charles cannot be underestimated.
 
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I've been happy with the job Kate has done so far, but I do think that it's time for the younger royals to start taking on more duties. I'll be disappointed if Harry, William and Kate haven't upped their engagements this year.

I do wonder though, how many engagements do people think Kate should be doing. She did 111 engagements in 2011 and people weren't happy with that number, so does she need to do 200 or more? Should she be matching Camilla's numbers (which are about 250 a year)?


cepe said:
I found the Express article interesting in that it mentions getting away from talking about frocks and rocks, and focusing on the issues that the royals support. And that is something I agree with.

I also agree with some of the criticism of Catherine and her lack of work ethic. Comparisons with Diana are not fair because Diana did not work flat out as some suggest, and she also had a full complement of staff, but changing perceptions of events 25 years ago is futile.

I think that the main issue is William. The Royal Prince and Duke who wants to live a "normal life". Well he cant unless he gives it all up and the sooner he understands that the better. Drifting about trying to come up with a worthwhile job to do is ridiculous when there is one waiting to be done. He is acting like a spoilt child.

RIchard Palmer says that what Catherine does depends on William's next move, but it has always depended on what William does.

They need to get on with royal duties. Catherine needs to add to her patronages and get out there, while there is still interest and charities can benefit.

Im disappointed but responsibility for the current state of affairs does not just lie with Catherine.
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I don't think he's acting like a spoilt child. It's not like he's refusing to do his duty. William and Harry haven't really needed to go full-time, so they were allowed a little "normalcy". Now that some of the senior members are getting older and are not able to take on as many duties, it looks like Harry, Kate and William are going to be stepping up.

I think if the Queen felt that William wasn't taking his role seriously, she would have put her foot down long ago. I think she has been fine with the job the Cambridges' have done.
 
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People always seem to use The Queen as an excuse for letting William and Catherine of. I know we have that outfit comment in the Jubilee interviews but other than that we have no insight into her character and what she wants. She could have wanted William and Catherine to go full time or at least part time from day one and they refused, she can't physically force them and while they aren't "needed" necessarily they are clearly wanted.
 
If he can't even wear the outfit he wants to his own wedding, I doubt he's running anything. If she wanted him to go full-time, I think he would be full-time. And since Harry is also a part-time royal, it's more than likely that she was okay with them not taking on full-time duties.
 
Wasn't it the case that The Queen told William to wear the military uniform of his highest rank, or where he was serving or something like that? She was pretty much getting him to observe protocol. Frankly, I can't imagine he would have preferred to wear a military uniform over a nice crisp, clean, and freeing-ness of a tailored suit.

But I'm off topic.
 
Haven't you all forgotton the end of last year when William had an surge of engagements and taken on more roles. The overall trend is engagements will be going up and not down. They are stepping up gradually.
 
Lumutqueen said:
Wasn't it the case that The Queen told William to wear the military uniform of his highest rank, or where he was serving or something like that? She was pretty much getting him to observe protocol. Frankly, I can't imagine he would have preferred to wear a military uniform over a nice crisp, clean, and freeing-ness of a tailored suit.

But I'm off topic.
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Yeah, she had just appointed him to Colonel of the Irish Guards. He wanted to wear another one of his uniforms, but she told him no. Are royal men required to wear the uniform of their their highest rank for their weddings?

In the interview that William did for 'Our Queen', he stated that when the Queen puts her foot down, you do as you're told. So I don't think William (or Harry) would defy her if she wanted them to do more duties.
 
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It was a different Irish Guards uniform the black bow one that he wore leaving BP and the shamrock and medals ceremonies. The queen told him to wear the red tunic one.

I think this year, Kate will increase her engagements and do more speaking at those engagements. Her charities always talk how wonderful Kate is and how she ask intelligent questions and such.

I don't think the younger royals are going to take on 500+ patronages but have less but spend more time and involvement in them. The Queen is patron of Wimbledon but has been there like 3 times in 60 years.
 
It is probably short-sighted to think that William or Catherine are in charge of their lives as royals. Isn't this supposed to be the royal family where everything is planned out and choreographed perfectly? Then why all the hand wringing over the Cambridges?
 
casualfan said:
It is probably short-sighted to think that William or Catherine are in charge of their lives as royals. Isn't this supposed to be the royal family where everything is planned out and choreographed perfectly? Then why all the hand wringing over the Cambridges?
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This is what I've been thinking too. Everything is planned out and the wheels of the Firm are well greased to run smoothly. Its not like as if William and Kate are making a conscious effort to not do so much or find ways around doing royal duties. When it comes to what they do, its pretty much not up to them although I'm sure their wishes are taken into consideration.
 
You have to take into account public opinion. It doesnt matter whether its all ok with HMQ, the fact is in the UK and in some of the other realms, there is a view that by now William (definitely) and Catherine (some allowance at present because of George but not much) should have stepped up to reduce the burden on the Queen.
 
I have to agree that William and Kate (and Harry to a lesser extent) need to be seen to be doing more this year.

Kate had the first year to get used to the role and then her pregnancy/birth of George but he is not a newborn now and many mothers go back to work on a more regular basis when their child is around this age. It's not as if they are waiting for a childcare place to become available!

I feel Kate has done a good job while William was in the forces but he is out now and both of them need to increase their duties this year or they run the risk of starting to look like they are freeloading.

It is easy for royal enthusiasts like ourselves to forget that the average member of public doesn't read sites like the royal forums to see what the royals are actually doing duty wise. It is very easy (in particular for Kate unfortunately) to look like she is all about the clothes and nice home and no hard work. The media is always forgiving during the first 3 years to a new royal but then the media have a tendency to turn on them - the media will be starting to want to see more than the odd hug of a child every so often or the mood will change, which may well then be followed by the general opinion of some of the public.
 
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Iluvbertie said:
Personally I am very disappointed in the lack of work from Kate, her dress sense - she regularly has the dress fly up for instance when most women in a public role would realise it can happen and do something (maybe she enjoys showing off her figure and thinks that is appropriate behaviour for a future Queen, the lack of patronages at this stage of her life as a royal and the lack of engagement when on them.

She has achieved the only important role in giving birth to the future king so she knows her future is secure but she hasn't won over the public completely due to her lack of work and the excuses made for her.

She has a long way to go to earn my respect.

I never like Diana but I did respect that fact that she did get her hands dirty with royal work, as did Sarah but not Kate - she has done virtually nothing to admire. Any 32 year old whose only achievement is to have one child since leaving university would be criticised from here to kingdom come except Kate.
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miche said:
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Diana didn't do much her first couple of hers as the Princess of Wales. Neither did Sarah as the Duke of York
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My recollection is that Sarah didn't do much as Duchess of York engagement wise, period. Here's a blast from the past which touches on Sarah's not doing enough royal duties:
Dallas at the Palace? - Affairs, Prince Andrew Windsor, Sarah Ferguson : People.com
 
:previous:My recollection is that Sarah didn't do much as Duchess of York engagement wise, period. Here's a blast from the past which touches on Sarah's not doing enough royal duties:
Dallas at the Palace? - Affairs, Prince Andrew Windsor, Sarah Ferguson : People.com

Sndrl: your comment says it all for how I feel about Sarah. To me she is a real freeloader and still is today. She has mastered the art of manipulation to an art form. If there is one royal woman out there,, this one should hide her face in shame and not be seen anywhere. I used to think she was a very pretty girl (I just love long red hair) and now she looks like a tough hard party girl.

I think Diana was used by the royal family and at times felt like there was no one in her corner(been there) and PC, well he sure treated her like leftovers that should be in the garbage can.

I believe that there are many things in the work for W/C and that the Queen is letting them have some time to have their family and get prepared for the life ahead of them. If C takes time now to have their children and raise them........I am all for that, she is lucky to have the money to do so as many can't. Mothers should be with their children at this stage in life, it's all about bonding and making the baby feel secure.
 
Date Anne Diana Sarah Charles
1981 ...80 XXX XXXX ...208
1982 .168 ....66 XXXX ....216
1983 .244 ...110 XXXX ...166
1984 .501 ....77 XXXX ....316
1987 .704 ...266 ..208 ....443
1988 .665 ...249 ..153 ....484
1989 .737 ...300 ..327 ....471
1990 .768 ...323 ..108 ....389
1991 .745 ...397 ..213 ....460
1992 .686 ....342 XXX ....449
1993 .573 ....263 XXX ....552
1994 .677 .....42 XXX ....527
1995 .575 ....127 XXX ....605
1996 .607 .....28 XXX. ....581


Here are the numbers. Missing 1985 & 1986. O'Donovan did not track number of engagements abroad in 1981, 1982, 1983. Just number of tours or number of days. Which are not included.

Sarah was not lazy. Compare her numbers.

She was pregnant in 1987.
Had a child in 1988.
Pregnant in 1989
Had a child in 1990.

Yet she outshined Diana under the same circumstances. In 1989 when Sarah was pregnant she still did more than Diana.
 
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Queen Cam:
I understand you like Sarah, I used to very much but she according to your numbers did not out work Diana except for 1 year. Sarah still today gets away with whatever she can in the royal family, she still gets a free ride. And her actions have really embarrassed the royal family, there are consequences for bad behavior, well there should be, yet still today everyone pays her way in life. Being a royal should come with the understanding of the huge responsibility for that position, it's not party time all the time. I have a number of books on her and if you look at the pictures of her then (wow what a beauty) and today(yes we all age) her looks show her lifestyle and it's not pretty. Regardless of whom a person in life is, she should have had some respect for the Queen and her daughters and had thought out her actions before she went wild and crazy.
 
cepe said:
You have to take into account public opinion. It doesnt matter whether its all ok with HMQ, the fact is in the UK and in some of the other realms, there is a view that by now William (definitely) and Catherine (some allowance at present because of George but not much) should have stepped up to reduce the burden on the Queen.
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That's a fair point, but at the end of the day, the Cambridges probably can't step on BP toes by overstepping their mandate. They have a foreign tour coming up, and probably more patronages that will ramp up later in the year.
 
Only the Queen and Philip can make themselves slow down. In Our Queen, William talked about the Queens children and grandchildren trying to get her to slow down. If not like Kate can go up to the Queen and tell her that she should become the patron of Wimbledon instead of the Queen.
 
The problem I see is it doesn't matter how many official engagements a member of the Royal family does, it's the perception of them being there and giving a damn about the general populace and this country/Commonwealth.

If the man on the street doesn't think the Royal Family do enough for what they are paid, then when it comes to any votes on keeping the monarchy etc he is more likely to vote no.

Also it doesn't matter if X, Y or Z did 500+ engagements when the average person only ever hears about the top glitzy engagements with wall to wall dignitaries, not everyone follows the Court Circulars or is remotely interested in who was where and when.

Both the Duke and Duchess are hugely popular with the average person on the street (now bear in mind I am not talking about Royal Watchers that frequent boards like this) and the vast majority won't care that they aren't jumping through the hoops as yet.

That being said, I honestly believe that once it becomes blindingly obvious that either the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh are not long for this world expectations will rise simply because William will be going from being the son of the heir to the throne to the heir to the throne.

When you are the son of the heir you are allowed a certain leeway to just live your life as you want, within certain boundaries of course. That all changes when they become heir.
 
I do not have any issues with the level of public engagement William has at the moment. He left the armed forces only in September. He spent the last quarter of 2013 carrying out a reasonable number of engagements, but also seemed to be getting a lot more involved in the causes he supports. He is now studying full time till Easter, so I guess we will see him, in earnest, only after they return from Australia and NZ.

I would have expected to see Catherine do a bit more about three years into her marriage. That said, she lived in Wales until September, and no whas a very young baby. Most people in the UK are entitled to 12 months maternity leave, but that being said, I would expect to see her a lot more engaged by the spring, or at the very latest, when they return from the trip to Australia / NZ.
 
SElizabeth said:
Queen Cam:
I understand you like Sarah, I used to very much but she according to your numbers did not out work Diana except for 1 year. Sarah still today gets away with whatever she can in the royal family, she still gets a free ride. And her actions have really embarrassed the royal family, there are consequences for bad behavior, well there should be, yet still today everyone pays her way in life. Being a royal should come with the understanding of the huge responsibility for that position, it's not party time all the time. I have a number of books on her and if you look at the pictures of her then (wow what a beauty) and today(yes we all age) her looks show her lifestyle and it's not pretty. Regardless of whom a person in life is, she should have had some respect for the Queen and her daughters and had thought out her actions before she went wild and crazy.
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Although I agree with you on all of your points, it should be pointed out that Sarah is not royal. She ceased being a royal when her divorce from Andrew was finalized. Its a common misconception though to most as she still is allowed to use the courtesy style of Sarah, Duchess of York. As a private citizen, she is given free reign to do whatever pleases her and its not been a popular ride for her over the years.
 
Victorian-Dandy said:
The problem I see is it doesn't matter how many official engagements a member of the Royal family does, it's the perception of them being there and giving a damn about the general populace and this country/Commonwealth.

If the man on the street doesn't think the Royal Family do enough for what they are paid, then when it comes to any votes on keeping the monarchy etc he is more likely to vote no.

Also it doesn't matter if X, Y or Z did 500+ engagements when the average person only ever hears about the top glitzy engagements with wall to wall dignitaries, not everyone follows the Court Circulars or is remotely interested in who was where and when.

Both the Duke and Duchess are hugely popular with the average person on the street (now bear in mind I am not talking about Royal Watchers that frequent boards like this) and the vast majority won't care that they aren't jumping through the hoops as yet.

That being said, I honestly believe that once it becomes blindingly obvious that either the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh are not long for this world expectations will rise simply because William will be going from being the son of the heir to the throne to the heir to the throne.

When you are the son of the heir you are allowed a certain leeway to just live your life as you want, within certain boundaries of course. That all changes when they become heir.
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Very well written post and a lot of clear, common sense.

I do think that there's an undercurrent of expectations going around with people gradually coming to realize that as the Queen the DoE continue to age and have more visible health issues, its time to seriously take into account that the transitions are beginning to take place for the next reign.
 
Two things..

...which IMO come into play when deciding how many duties W&C need to undertake:

1. They are still building their marriage and family life. If this is a failure, it won't matter how many times they are seen out and about with cute clothes and cute kids. No one wants another failed marriage in the Queen's immediate family.

2. Assuming that Camilla will be the Queen Consort within the next decade or so, her being front and center and building on her hard-won popularity is very important. Regardless of whether some see W&C as "dull", they have the ability to completely distract from the heir and his spouse. Remember how prickly Charles was about Diana's popularity?
 
cepe said:
You have to take into account public opinion. It doesnt matter whether its all ok with HMQ, the fact is in the UK and in some of the other realms, there is a view that by now William (definitely) and Catherine (some allowance at present because of George but not much) should have stepped up to reduce the burden on the Queen.
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Where were you when William was doing investitures? Where were you when William was with South Korean President?
 
royalistbert said:
Where were you when William was doing investitures? Where were you when William was with South Korean President?
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that's a grand total of 1 days work (probably not even that).

He's 31, left the military, taking a year off and is considering his options. How do you think that looks to a member of the general public?

You and I follow the royals otherwise we wouldn't be on here. I can list lots of good reasons why the above has taken place but in the eye of the public who dont follow, that is an accurate summary.
 
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