Prince William and Kate Middleton current events 1: October-November 2007

[CourtSprite]

Something you need to keep in mind with regard to the British press; they love to denigrate. That applies to Royals as much as Joe Nobody. They display the worst sort of hypocrisy and cynicism and don't give a damn so long as it shifts print.

I agree with the comments that Harry would appear to be the more assured of the two Princes. But I attribute that to the fact that there's no pressure on him. Much like Princess Margaret and the Queen. Being the younger sib must come as a great relief sometimes in Royal Circles.

As for William and Ms Kate, I think she's here for a good time. Not a long time. As the song goes. And fair enough. Prince Charles had his fair of girlfriends before marrying. Why shouldn't his sons do the same.

[Duchess]

i totally agree that the british press changes their direction like the wind. stories go along for ages telling how wonderful they are and then when they can't sell anymore papers they change lanes and start the negative storylines. i don't think catherine's image has changed at all. she's still the same discreet, well dressed woman that she was prior to the "break up" but that was getting boring so they had to change direction.

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by Duchess

i totally agree that the british press changes their direction like the wind. stories go along for ages telling how wonderful they are and then when they can't sell anymore papers they change lanes and start the negative storylines. i don't think catherine's image has changed at all. she's still the same discreet, well dressed woman that she was prior to the "break up" but that was getting boring so they had to change direction.

And somehow she and William "cheated" on the press - they "split" and let that leak and only some mere months afterwards she is seen hunting with the Prince of Wales. No wonder she gets the receipt for that now.

[CourtSprite]

If anyone is shrewd with regard to the media, its the Royals. They've had to be for some time now.

The public does NOT have the right to know everything. Whats more, we don't want to. The ordinary citizen would never tolerate, nor be expected, to tolerate the kind of intrusion into their lives that public figures do.

If one of them engages in a bit of cat and mouse and gets away with it, power to them.

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by CourtSprite

If anyone is shrewd with regard to the media, its the Royals. They've had to be for some time now.

The public does NOT have the right to know everything. Whats more, we don't want to. The ordinary citizen would never tolerate, nor be expected, to tolerate the kind of intrusion into their lives that public figures do.

If one of them engages in a bit of cat and mouse and gets away with it, power to them.

You're right, of course, but I doubt that the media sees it that way...

[CourtSprite]

Hang on while I mail them a sympathy card.

[Little_star]

Originally Posted by pollyemma

I have general question: do you guys think the popular perception of Kate Middleton has altered significantly since the supposed break up earlier this year?

I feel like I used to see more stories about her as the quiet, smart, dignified girl who influenced William to avoid the drunken excess sometimes displayed by Harry.

Now I feel like I see more stories depicting her as a social climber/gold digger who doesnt do anything with her life.

Is it just me who has noticed this or have you seen it too? if so, what caused the change?

Personally I think the press are merely picking up on the public opinion of Kate.

These articles merely eflect the opinions or views of a large proportion of people out there.

[GovGen]

Originally Posted by CourtSprite

If anyone is shrewd with regard to the media, its the Royals. They've had to be for some time now.

The public does NOT have the right to know everything. ...

I agree that the public does not/should not know everything about the Royal family.
However, the way in which they handle the media has been anything BUT shrewd, imo. More like a disaster!
The Royal Family and/or their advisors are well behind the times when it comes to media relations. They might not be perceived as a never ending soap opera, if they handled their publicity better.

[zembla]

Originally Posted by CourtSprite

If anyone is shrewd with regard to the media, its the Royals. They've had to be for some time now.

Actually I think the royals are completely media stupid for the most part...I don't see them as shrewd at all. Diana was...and that's about it.

I think Kate is defintiely shrewd as well...she's on her way to knowing exactly what to do. To really have a handle on the press...you have to like it and understand public opinion....and most of the royals don't.

[Jo of Palatine]

I think Catherine is in a very unfortunate situation - even if she and William have an agreement there is nothing officially to point to it, establishing her position in society or the media. She is nothing but a female acquaintance of the prince, not even proven to be his lover at the moment.

And the times are over where the lover of a Royal prince like Mrs. Jordan (not officially the wife of the Duke of Clarence, later king William IV.) was so accepted that the king created her children "Lord" and "Lady" Firstname Fitzclarence - children that were treated as relatives by king George IV., queen Victoria and Edward VII.. They could marry into the most prestigious families of Britain: the Spencer Churchills (Dukes and Earls), the Kennedy of Ailsa (Marquesses), the Boyle of Glasgow (Earls) or the Hay of Erroll (Earls). That's what Royal blood once meant, even if it was illegitimate. But today?

[Duke of Marmalade]

Originally Posted by GovGen

However, the way in which they handle the media has been anything BUT shrewd, imo. More like a disaster!
The Royal Family and/or their advisors are well behind the times when it comes to media relations. They might not be perceived as a never ending soap opera, if they handled their publicity better.

Absolutely. They still act like primadonnas or think it's blasphemy to be critizised in the media as if they were living back in the 19th century. Prince Charles (obviously passing on his attitude to his sons) still ignores the media instead of forming a suitable relationship; the result is the so called PR machine of Clarence House doing an awful job that doesn't do him or his family any favours.

[CourtSprite]

Your overlooking the fact that anyone being pursued by the press, generally have certain rules and boundaries that they have to work within in order to deal with the situation. Even Royals. Especially Royals.

The media, on the other hand, can do as they please. You have to get a lawyer and a ten tonne court order on their asses to make them back off for five minutes.

The right to privacy, as well as the right to have as clean or mucky a private life as you please, doesn't stop simply because your a public figure. I dont care if your a Royal or Joe Average.

The press are out of control and need leashing.

[Duke of Marmalade]

Originally Posted by CourtSprite

Your overlooking the fact that anyone being pursued by the press, generally have certain rules and boundaries that they have to work within in order to deal with the situation. Even Royals. Especially Royals.

The media, on the other hand, can do as they please. You have to get a lawyer and a ten tonne court order on their asses to make them back off for five minutes.

The right to privacy, as well as the right to have as clean or mucky a private life as you please, doesn't stop simply because your a public figure. I dont care if your a Royal or Joe Average.

The press are out of control and need leashing.

There are plenty of examples where the relationship works - AAA class vips, even more interesting than royals who are able to deal with the press in a suitable manner (= give and take). Charles usually shows off his "offended" attitude towards the press (= you are too stupid to understand my message and fail to recognize that I am the perfect future king). Not helpful at all.

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

There are plenty of examples where the relationship works - AAA class vips, even more interesting than royals who are able to deal with the press in a suitable manner (= give and take). Charles usually shows off his "offended" attitude towards the press (= you are too stupid to understand my message and fail to recognize that I am the perfect future king). Not helpful at all.

But now he has the Duchess to help him - and judging from quite some articles, she does a good job at making him relate to the media in a positive manner while being herself a person one likes to write about in a positive manner.

The pic from the visit to Chinatown comes to mind, where she deliberaly gave the photographers the chance to take her picture next to the stone dragon. I for one did not read one negative article about her relating to the pic, just some jokey ones. Or when she went off to get Charles in order to make him try Tai chi as well - that was positive media work, now soem pics were published showing Charles in a positive way. Or the way they are seen holding hands etc. - in my mind there is no doubt that it's the Duchess who makes Charles look good on these pics. Journalists have come to like her so much that even when Richard Kay writes something negative about Charles and Camilla, there is another, positive article in the same edition of the Dirty Mail.

[ysbel]

Originally Posted by pollyemma

I have general question: do you guys think the popular perception of Kate Middleton has altered significantly since the supposed break up earlier this year?

I feel like I used to see more stories about her as the quiet, smart, dignified girl who influenced William to avoid the drunken excess sometimes displayed by Harry.

Now I feel like I see more stories depicting her as a social climber/gold digger who doesnt do anything with her life.

Is it just me who has noticed this or have you seen it too? if so, what caused the change?

I think it is more that the papers don't really care about the content they write, they only are interested in finding an appealing angle or scintillating story to sell papers.

Kate and William haven't given the papers much substance to write about. So they came out of a club a month ago? And Kate apparently was seen in the presence of the Prince of Wales? Even a drunken exit from a club can't keep people's interest for very long and papers need to make up stuff to seem exciting and hip.

The perfect Princess stories were only exciting when people were seeing a wedding around the corner and all the royal romantics could dream about a trip down the aisle for Kate.

However, with their breakup and Kate's mother's trashing in the press, it seems awfully premature to count the days until the wedding is announced and the perfect princess Kate who never does anything wrong story is quite boring. Good, understated, nonpretentious responsible royals with common sense are often boring to the celebrity press.

So they had to change their tactic to keep the public engaged. So good girl Kate has now become bad girl Kate.

[Duke of Marmalade]

Originally Posted by ysbel

I think it is more that the papers don't really care about the content they write, they only are interested in finding an appealing angle or scintillating story to sell papers.

Kate and William haven't given the papers much substance to write about. So they came out of a club a month ago? And Kate apparently was seen in the presence of the Prince of Wales? Even a drunken exit from a club can't keep people's interest for very long and papers need to make up stuff to seem exciting and hip.

The perfect Princess stories were only exciting when people were seeing a wedding around the corner and all the royal romantics could dream about a trip down the aisle for Kate.

However, with their breakup and Kate's mother's trashing in the press, it seems awfully premature to count the days until the wedding is announced and the perfect princess Kate who never does anything wrong story is quite boring. Good, understated, nonpretentious responsible royals with common sense are often boring to the celebrity press.

So they had to change their tactic to keep the public engaged. So good girl Kate has now become bad girl Kate.

I totally agree ysbel but I am not sure if this handling (no confirmation etc and your described reaction of the media) will do Kate any favours in the long term.

[Duke of Marmalade]

Originally Posted by Jo of Palatine

But now he has the Duchess to help him - and judging from quite some articles, she does a good job at making him relate to the media in a positive manner while being herself a person one likes to write about in a positive manner.

Totally agree. The marriage to Camilla was good for Charles and this is one of the positive aspects.

[ysbel]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

I totally agree ysbel but I am not sure if this handling (no confirmation etc and your described reaction of the media) will do Kate any favours in the long term.

Well not knowing what Kate intends to gain, I can't really say whether it will do her any favors or not, Duke of Marmalade,. I do think that if she intends to marry William, the public breakup, nasty press reports and reunion marked by coming out of a club in an intoxicated state are not doing her any favors. But I'm not so sure that the crown is her goal. It may be that she and William are still deciding what they want and that's why their public image seem so haphazard.

I'm reminded of an interview with Bruce Springsteen when an interviewer asked him about a time when he was in the scandal sheets daily and getting very negative press. The interviewer's attitude was 'What in the hell were you thinking?' and Bruce's response was that at certain times of your life you are so involved in what is going on in your life that how it looks in the press is the last thing that you're worried about. Its true that William is a member of the royal family and how he behaves himself reflects somewhat on the family as a whole but on a more immediate basis, he is not going to have a constitutional government role in a very long time so he does have some time to find himself and Kate doesn't even have a ring on her finger so she's allowed to have doubts and conflicting feelings, in my book.

[susan alicia]

Kate quits her fashion job as rumours grow of an engagement | the Daily Mail

[hornsen]

Originally Posted by susan alicia

Kate quits her fashion job as rumours grow of an engagement | the Daily Mail

This girl really is ludicrously. She only has one profession: WAG! She don´t know what a luxury life she has. She can change with me, than she`ll know what stress means.
I only can laugh if I hear: next Queen Kate.