The Duchess of Cambridge: Family, Wealth and Background

[Mia_mae]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

its not that the middleton family didnt know what was about to come, unlike the rest of the world. michael managed to look correct, but he is one of the few family members who doesnt love any attention and therefore doesnt get it.

Sorry, but WHAT??! I'm going to laugh, because, clearly since you know the family so well you should have call them and advise Carole that if she wanted to call more attention a pair of jeans and a navy jacket would not be enough!

[KittyAtlanta]

Well, this has got to be a stressful time for the Middletons. I'm not so sure I, in the same circumstances, would be venturing out of my house until after the wedding. Unless it turns out that they are hungry for press attention, they will undoubtedly disappear from media interest after the big event.

[Zonk]

This just goes to show that you can't win.

First of all, we don't know the reason she wasn't dressed up. Perhaps Mr. Middleton had come from a work meeting and that was the reason he was suited up. I work in my home, and I tend not to get dressed up unless I have business appointments.

So let's see...one is seeking the press if one is dressed up like they are waiting to be photographed and when is going about their day, they are also criticized?

Okay. And actually, I am not surprised that they have complained about the press...Some of the stories coming from the press, the constant pictures as one goes about ones day are getting to be a bit too much. But than I guess people will say they love that.

[grammas26]

There is too much time for the press to wait without "a story" even if they have to make one up!!! Can't wait for April 29, and I bet Catherine, William and everyone else can't either!!

[Mia_mae]

In my eyes they have done nothing to receive such hard criticism. As we say here in Brazil, "Do you pay their bills?" if not, go get a cat!"
People so often feel the need to be judgmental and worse based on DM articles, dearlord!

About the media, when it became more common to video tape those "pursuits" and post them online, It actually made me think twice before buying magazines that clearly use pictures taken in those situations. isometimes even the Paris Hiltons and Kardashians get irritated with it.

[muriel]

Hooray for Carole Middleton and her frump-free style | Mail Online

Hooray for Carole Middleton and her frump-free style


Read more: Hooray for Carole Middleton and her frump-free style | Mail Online

[georgiea]

Is the Mail Online worried about a lawsuit? They changed their viewpoint in a day.

[muriel]

Originally Posted by georgiea

Is the Mail Online worried about a lawsuit? They changed their viewpoint in a day.

Not really, its just a different columnist.

[georgiea]

"Cruel" reports in U.K. about Kate Middleton mom - The Early Show - CBS News

[Diarist]

Not sure if anyone has said this before, but there is often good cause for thinking that anything by Victoria Arbiter [the reporter in the aforementioned piece] may be regarded as fairly authoritative. Victoria is the daugher of Dickie Arbiter, retired press secretary to the Queen. He is regarded as still maintaining very close contacts with the Palace. ( His other [less famous role!] was teaching me to Ice Skate!)


Alex

[Mia_mae]

Originally Posted by georgiea

"Cruel" reports in U.K. about Kate Middleton mom - The Early Show - CBS News

my thoughts exactly! This woman, so far, hasn't done anything to receive those kind of critics. It's her daughter that is getting married. As we say here in Brazil it a case of "dor de cotovelo", literally meaning "pain in the elbow", meaning "to envy someone"

Originally Posted by Diarist

Not sure if anyone has said this before, but there is often good cause for thinking that anything by Victoria Arbiter [the reporter in the aforementioned piece] may be regarded as fairly authoritative. Victoria is the daugher of Dickie Arbiter, retired press secretary to the Queen. He is regarded as still maintaining very close contacts with the Palace. ( His other [less famous role!] was teaching me to Ice Skate!)


Alex

umm, idk, I saw a video on YouTube with her, and the CBS journalist seemed to know more than she did!

[Duke of Marmalade]

Originally Posted by Mia_mae

my thoughts exactly! This woman, so far, hasn't done anything to receive those kind of critics. It's her daughter that is getting married. As we say here in Brazil it a case of "dor de cotovelo", literally meaning "pain in the elbow", meaning "to envy someone"

The article is of poor quality to begin with - Kate is not getting married to Prince Charles but Prince William

Whats new - The Middletons are used to receiving such press for many years, neither Kate nor her family hasnt exactly been popular with most parts of the British media (except Hello!, but they like everybody). I am not going to warm up all the old stories but especially Carole has been seen as pushy or snobbish or a social climber, apparently even Williams friends used to make fun of Kate because of her mother's past as an airhostess.

People tend to forget but the social class system in Britain is still alive and kicking, to this very day.

[Mermaid1962]

Yes, I agree that's image that's been forwarded by particular media outlets. But how much have we heard from people who know the Middletons well? In fact, their friends have been notably quiet. To have such discrete friends shows, I think, that the Middletons attract solid people as friends, which speaks well of them. It's particularly noticeable that the negative comments are about Carol, which I assume is because she's from lower quality "stock." The negativity toward Mrs. Middleton often comes from female writers, and seems to be a classic example of how some women unfortunately resent other women who are attractive and successful.

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

I am not going to warm up all the old stories but especially Carole has been seen as pushy or snobbish or a social climber, apparently even Williams friends used to make fun of Kate because of her mother's past as an airhostess.

[Mia_mae]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

Yes, I agree that's image that's been forwarded by particular media outlets. But how much have we heard from people who know the Middletons well? In fact, their friends have been notably quiet. To have such discrete friends shows, I think, that the Middletons attract solid people as friends, which speaks well of them. It's particularly noticeable that the negative comments are about Carol, which I assume is because she's from lower quality "stock." The negativity toward Mrs. Middleton often comes from female writers, and seems to be a classic example of how some women unfortunately resent other women who are attractive and successful.

perfectly put it!

People in Britain need to decide. either criticize people who have the ability to change classes or stop moaning about the ones who live after government benefits

[MRSJ]

Why is it that everything negative written about Carole Middleton has to be a lie or exxagerated? It's possible it's all true.... The not knowing her works both ways and sometimes rumors have truth in them, for years and years I've heard and read she was a social climber or a snob, is there any more reason to think it's not true rather then it is? Possibly these stories presist because Carole is a snob? We can't possibly know......just sayin'

And for the record for all the bad about Carole I've always heard/read Kate is a nice girl (but also read Pippa is a social climber too)

[jdcharlie]

Originally Posted by MRSJ

Why is it that everything negative written about Carole Middleton has to be a lie or exxagerated? It's possible it's all true.... The not knowing her works both ways and sometimes rumors have truth in them, for years and years I've heard and read she was a social climber or a snob, is there any more reason to think it's not true rather then it is? Possibly these stories presist because Carole is a snob? We can't possibly know......just sayin'

And for the record for all the bad about Carole I've always heard/read Kate is a nice girl (but also read Pippa is a social climber too)

For years I read that Carole embarrassed herself in front of the Queen (which, the way the story is told, any one of us could have done). But one of the first things we hear after the engagement: She has never met the Queen. Pippa has also been made out to be a social climber and fame wh***. But Pippa has very quietly been dating a guy without a title and without, to my knowledge, a massive fortune to his name for the better part of a year. So really, I've yet to see or hear anything other than anonymous rumors to back up any of the common claims about Carole and Pippa. So until there is actual proof, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Especially since this is the way Royal Reporters apparently operate: Britain's Royal Reporters Wage War Over Wedding Coverage of Kate and William - WSJ.com

[MRSJ]

Originally Posted by jdcharlie

Pippa has also been made out to be a social climber and fame wh***. But Pippa has very quietly been dating a guy without a title and without, to my knowledge, a massive fortune to his name for the better part of a year. ]

I understand your point- just figured I'd pose the question....

I thought I'd read on this thread of another Pippa's bf is actually extremely wealthy in upper class - thus adding to the social climber rumors (but I maybe remembering incorrectly)

[Susanna Wynne]

Dear JDCharlie and MRSJ:

I just read another article about Alex Loudon, this one by Katie Nicholl; Alex is Pippa Middleton's current boyfriend. This does not prove one way or another whether she is a "social climber," because we cannot see into her heart. To be fair, since her sister is going to marry a member of the Royal family, it increases Pippa's access to a much larger, and perhaps more highly placed, circle of friends and potential relationships. She is attractive, stylish and well-educated. So, it makes sense that she has many more opportunities to make her own good match -- and good for her!

Her boyfriend, Alex Loudon, is an Old Etonian, a friend of William's, a former top cricketer, and a budding financier, and reportedly is a very nice guy. His family has a stately home in Kent and he comes from an aristocratic background. I quoted from the article below:


"The couple started dating just before Christmas and the ex-England all-rounder cricketer Loudon, 30, who played for Kent and Warwickshire, is an old friend of William.

The pair were at Eton together and Alex, like William, was in 'Pop, the school prefects' society.

Well-bred Alex ticks all the right boxes. He has a double-barrelled name – he was born Alexander Guy Rushworth Loudon – and his family own a stately pile in Kent called Olantigh, which has a 20-acre garden that is opened to the public for walks.

‘He’s absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and Pippa is very smitten,’ says a friend.

‘He stopped playing county cricket in 2007 to go into the City, but he’s still a great athlete and a really good chap.’
"

[Mia_mae]

At the end no one really knows how they are. I'm also assuming the best, because that's how I choose to be. But, if tomorrow Pippa were to do an interview for Hello Magazine revealing William and Kate' secrets, I would change my mind.
As jdcharlie said, it's easy to use the term "source" and print any stories. At the end if you don't care for them, you will tend to believe those, and if you do, you'll likely refute them. That how it happens.
My position towards the Middleton's is based on the way Catherine held herself trough out her relationship with William. Discretion. So with that in mind, I give them the benefit of the doubt, if you will. :)

[PrincessKaimi]

There are so many aspects to making "first" and "second" cuts, as to who will one date. No woman (I would hope) would accept introductions and initial conversations with just random guys off the street. We all rely upon our social networks to help us select a mate. For me, and my daughters, this revolves around education and family history - before my daughters ever dared to "get to know" a boy, they wanted to make sure he wasn't from a family with problems they couldn't handle. It would be hard to say if either girl could have fallen in love with someone they hadn't met!

At any rate, the people one gets introduced to are not random, and many factors can change it. It is always easier to meet the less-discriminating families/individuals (by definition). It isn't just about money, as people sometimes imply with the term "gold-digger." It can be about shared values, etiquette, etc. - and then, once we have met a sufficient number of people who share our values, etc. - perhaps we fall in love with one of them.

I am happy to say that I have never fallen in love with someone whose values and upbringing were totally alien to mine, we value very similar things. It might look as if we were orchestrating such social events (attending university, collaborating on research projects - the things that brought me together with people whom I still rely on for friendship).

In short, it's likely that Pippa shares values with Kate, and that their family is copacetic with the Royals and the aristocracy.