General News for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 1: January 2013-December 2014

[Sun Lion]

You all are just a barrel of laughs and a great time.
Seriously for most of us, royal watching is a hobby and it's fun and entertaining.
If you find yourself personally offended that someone you don't know took a vacation, you might want to look at your life and examine your choices.

I'll have to agree with Iluvbertie's comments HRHHermione, regarding Royal service and duty etc.

For Australians, the whole Royal thing is still very tied up with our Constitution and various laws.
It was through the Crown's powers that a democratically elected Australian government was "sacked" in our country in 1975.
People still call it a "coup" - and done in the name of the Queen.
From the US, and even from here in Oz a lot of the time, yes, a bit of diversion and entertainment.
But really, the only thing keeping the Royal Family in place here, is Australian's skepticism of whatever local candidate would become our Head of State.
"Serve the People" is the name of the game still. (Though we still have the Queen, for that of course.)

 

[HRHHermione]

And that is completely fair and I get that a resident of a commonwealth country would have a different perspective than a U.S. resident and you reminded me of that very nicely- thank you.

I just still think there's a balance for these two that's nearly impossible. They have to be good at their jobs
while never overshadowing the Queen or Prince Charles and that's not an easy balance to strike. I think that's actually the biggest reason their press exposure is so limited.

 

[Roslyn]

You might be right, Moonmaiden23, but if I were you I would not be passing around the champers yet. I'm sure we'll see a lot said about the travelling Will and Kate show on the morning TV shows and in the women's mags and in these media we will be bombarded by photos of George, but I doubt the average Australian cares much about these two or their baby.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Sorry...what is "champers"?

 

[soapstar]

I can't believe that Kate is being called a 'waste of space'. That's just incredibly mean.

No wonder some posters are leaving this forum! To be told that those of us who do not believe that William and Kate are the greatest things since sliced bread and who dare to question their work ethic or the state of their marriage or anything else about them in a way that it remotely critical of the pair are "just plain jealous and lazy and ignorant" and should be ignored in the hope we will go away for good, does not exactly inspire one to post here.

My personal view about this trip to the Maldives is that William and Kate have been packed off there for a week together without distractions in the hope that they will spend enough time together to enable the spare to be created before they separate for good.

Let's not pretend that W&K's thread is the only place where critical posts get called out. I've seen it happen in threads for Princess Beatrice, Madeleine, Mary, Charlene and Albert. In fact, if you go into many threads on this forum, you'll find people being challenged on critical and negative posts. Especially when those posts are discussing the marriage/relationship, parenting skills or work and charity involvement of the different royals.

As to people leaving, they could be going for any number of reasons - bored with the subject, personal issues, feel that the negativity in some of the threads is exhausting, no time to post, etc. To imply that people are leaving because they can't speak negative of William or Kate, is a bit silly.

I'm not sure why people think Kate and William don't spend enough time together. Is a week away from your spouse a sign of trouble? If so, there are an awful lot of couples headed for divorce court.

 

[Roslyn]

Sorry...what is "champers"?

Champagne.

 

[Zonk]

Let's cool the speculative discussion regarding the status of the Cambridge marriage.

Thanks!

 

[royalistbert]

I really don't understand some of the Cambridge negativity that other Royals don't seem to get on here. They seem to be the target of most of the negative posts on this forum.

I do question why some posters bother posting on here sometimes. Keep going on about how much you don't care and how much your country doesn't care. Some people really need to get a sense of humour and lighten up a bit. It's a shame that some really good posters have dissapeard from the forums.

Sometimes I do wonder if Cambridges have commited mass murder the way some people react on here to a weeks holiday. About this time last year there was uproar about the Cambridges going to a wedding in the Alps and it was more widely reported in the press.

As for the Cambridges workload, yes the Cambridges could be doing more in my opinion. I suspect that this year the workload will go up a hell of a lot starting with the tour. This time next year the posters complaining that the Camrbidges don't do enough work will be complaining that they are over exposed.

 

[Skippyboo]

From Richard Palmer's article about Prince Harry's speech today -

"Picking up a theme that will be echoed by his brother Prince William and, particularly, sister-in-law Kate this year, Harry, 29, called for early intervention with young people facing crisis."

Somebody needs to break into KP and steal Rebecca's Diary of Future Events so everybody can relax.

 

[cepe]

The press were invited to KP on Tuesday - no reporting of event allowed apparently. I think Richard just let a little squeak out of the bag! LOL

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I wonder what would happen if the posters who are attacked as "ignorant and envious" because they are not impressed with the Cambridges posted their own personal opinions of the characters and personalities of the posters who endlessly fawn over them?

Just a thought.

 

[AdmirerUS]

Well, that would be against Forum rules. We discuss, we agree or disagree, but we don't launch attacks on one another. Ahem - your point is well taken.
We should instead ask, "Does envy drive your opinion?" and "What is an example of where you find the Cambridges to be useless lumps of pudding."

Honestly, we need to value non-agreement more than we do, because people are rarely persuaded by comments, IMHO.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

BINGO. I agree.

 

[soapstar]

I wonder what would happen if the posters who are attacked as "ignorant and envious" because they are not impressed with the Cambridges posted their own personal opinions of the characters and personalities of the posters who endlessly fawn over them?

Just a thought.

It's been done. Posters have called out others for fawning over the Cambridges.

 

[AdmirerUS]

I am not envious I am angry. If they gave it all up tomorrow I wouldn't care how many holidays they went but when the taxpayer is giving you money they expect more return than watching you do very little and swan off on holiday (3 times between them in less than 3 months). And before anyone says they paid for it themselves their security and George's seperate security whilst they are gone is being paid for with my taxes.

Angela: Do you let your concerns surface anywhere else? Like with your MP or a well composed letter to William? I only ask, because it always makes me me feel a great deal better when I complain to someone that can effect change.
For whatever reason, our federally elected local officials have taken to counting tweets as a barometer of public support on issues. So I opened a twitter account. I use it to look at Mike Tindall's posts and to kvetch at my representatives. I know my tweets are not read as such, but I send them, but I also know that they believe 100 tweets means one percentage point in the polls (or whatever).
It's a game. But you gotta play the game if you want things to change.

 

[Baroness of Books]

I wonder what would happen if the posters who are attacked as "ignorant and envious" because they are not impressed with the Cambridges posted their own personal opinions of the characters and personalities of the posters who endlessly fawn over them?

Just a thought.

Great observation, Moonmaiden. Saying that people are ignorant and envious because they don't agree with others isn't an argument but disparagement.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

It's been done. Posters have called out others for fawning over the Cambridges.

Have they been called names? Has their intelligence been questioned, their integrity? I don't post much in the Cambridge threads but I browse frequently. I haven't seen it.

 

[soapstar]

Yep. I've seen it happen. I've also seen it happen on threads for other royals. This type of interaction between posters is not just confined to the Cambridge thread.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

The only other place I have seen posters called names is in the Swedish threads, where people who are not enchanted with Prince Carl-Philip's current girlfriend are called...surprise!...envious, judgmental, and occasionally misogynists.

 

[soapstar]

The only other place I have seen posters called names is in the Swedish threads, where people who are not enchanted with Prince Carl-Philip's current girlfriend are called...surprise!...envious, judgmental, and occasionally misogynists.

Don't want to get off topic, but I've seen it in more than just CP's thread. Princess Charlene's thread gets a lot of back and forth between posters. I've also seen it in threads for Mary, Letizia, Sarah, Camilla/Charles, Beatrice...basically any popular royal. Even Stephanie's fashion thread has had a few arguments between posters.

And to be honest, I've noticed that some posters have no problem throwing criticisms at one royal, but then turn around and get upset and defensive when their favorite royal is criticized. I know at times I've been guilty of this, which is why I try and stay out of forums for royals I don't particularly care for.

 

[Dman]

I think The Duchess of Cambridge has done a pretty fine job in her role as William's wife, future Princess of Wales/Queen. Obviously, the year just started and Catherine has kicked off her 2014 official engagements but there's so much more to come. Not only she's about to embark on her official tour to Australia and New Zealand with William and George but she will have many more official engagements lined up throughout the coming weeks and months within the year.

Yes, both William & Catherine could be doing more and I hope we will see them become fulltime members of the royal family by the end of this year and into the next.

 

[TLLK]

Yep. I've seen it happen. I've also seen it happen on threads for other royals. This type of interaction between posters is not just confined to the Cambridge thread.

I agree. Ten years ago this type of interaction would have happened in posts about Mary, Maxima, Letizia etc...The royals and the posters just change.

Angela: Do you let your concerns surface anywhere else? Like with your MP or a well composed letter to William? I only ask, because it always makes me me feel a great deal better when I complain to someone that can effect change.
For whatever reason, our federally elected local officials have taken to counting tweets as a barometer of public support on issues. So I opened a twitter account. I use it to look at Mike Tindall's posts and to kvetch at my representatives. I know my tweets are not read as such, but I send them, but I also know that they believe 100 tweets means one percentage point in the polls (or whatever).
It's a game. But you gotta play the game if you want things to change.

Excellent suggestion Admirer US

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Don't want to get off topic, but I've seen it in more than just CP's thread. Princess Charlene's thread gets a lot of back and forth between posters. I've also seen it in threads for Mary, Letizia, Sarah, Camilla/Charles, Beatrice...basically any popular royal. Even Stephanie's fashion thread has had a few arguments between posters.

Well, I agree with you that we should not get off topic and yes...the Charlene/Letizia comments and opinions in particular are rather harsh. But mostly the nastiness seems heaped on the Royals themselves, not the posters.

But I will start browsing the other threads and paying more attention. You could be right.

 

[casualfan]

I wonder what would happen if the posters who are attacked as "ignorant and envious" because they are not impressed with the Cambridges posted their own personal opinions of the characters and personalities of the posters who endlessly fawn over them?

Just a thought.

That's not the purpose of the forum. And who called anyone ignorant?

 

[Moonmaiden23]

That's not the purpose of the forum. And who called anyone ignorant?

Thanks, but I know it's not the purpose of the forum and I'm not the one who needs to be told that. Perhaps you could review the comments that came before mine if you want to understand why I posted what I did.

 

[Sun Lion]

Hoping For No Incidents When W and C Here...

...Today's newspaper has a double-page feature with newly released information about the attempt on the Duke of Edinburgh's life when he was here in Australia in1973.

Subject to a "D Notice" at the time, only now are details being made public.

I also remember the lunge made at Prince Charles when he was at Darling Harbour in 1994 - and although the gun only had blanks, no one on stage knew that at the time.

Good that there were so many other men on stage with Prince Charles - so many official guests threw themselves on the offender and tackled him to the ground in front of the TV cameras.

I was once in the street when The Queen and Prince Philip appeared on the balcony of Sydney's Town Hall and a young man started to shout insults.

Boy did the police react to that - they were suddenly amongst us and dragging him away.

Despite the expenses involved, I can understand the need for very high security when no-one knows who will be turning up at these public events.

Sun Lion.

 

[Iluvbertie]

If someone really wants to kill them all that security won't stop them. A sniper from some distance away could quite easily take them out as could a suicide bomber. I am teaching terrorism to Year 9 at the moment and they actually were talking about how they would carry out a terrorist attack (no I am not encouraging them to do so but to look at why people have done so and one thing led to another as happens in classrooms ...) and they came up with some ingenious ways to take out the Australian PM.

The security around them is actually quite small and relies largely on the fact that most of the people who are there are there to see the royal.

 

[Sun Lion]

Hi Iluvbertie,

The things children are taught in school these days.
I used to have cooking, sewing, knitting - and on Fridays - even laundry!lessons.
As those things are no longer considered necessary - though cooking might still be good - I hope one day terrorism is a topic society can move on from.

Cheers, Sun Lion.

 

[Warren]

Seven pages of posts specifically discussing the Maldives holiday have been moved to the Cambridge Family current events thread;
Posts regarding the hiring of a nanny for Prince George have been moved to the Cambridge Staff thread;
Posts with information about the upcoming tour have been moved to the Australia-NZ Tour thread.

 

[Sun Lion]

Oz Republican Movement Using W & C Visit To Start New Campaign.

Hi All,

Australian TV channel ABC interviewed the head of the Republican movement here in Oz this morning, as they've announced thay are gearing up for a new campaign to coincide with the Royal Tour here by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

(Sorry, no details - I didn't get to see it, too busy, busy, busy.)

Cheers, Sun Lion.

P.S. May be put on line of course at some stage - plus just the beginning - I can see the articles in next weekend's newspapers already .