William and Kate: engagement and relationship rumours and musings 2010

[Wisteria]

Of course I read them Lady Ann, I just don´t buy them. If I can´t see what I want on the internet I don´t bother.
As far as charity work is concerned why on earth should Kate do charity work. That is for royals to justify their existence..... Kate is not royal yet ( and I hope she will never be) and I believe she should be more independent like Chelsy, she should be doing something and not pining away waiting for a phone call. Pleeeease don´t say she is working for her parents, she was supposed to be their photographer but......well I am not convinced and all those holidays from doing nothing. She is very convenient company for William and as far as I am concerned, for now, that is all she is.

 

[Lady Ann]

well, she may or maynot be working for her parents who knows....lol... Charity is for those whom need to prove somthing to the world not just royals, but cebierities and other people who are in the press or have the luck to have nothing esle better too do with their time but wait for a handsome prince to give a huge ring and ride off into the sunset. while this does not make a proper Princess or Queen for that matter it is a fact that some people may and can live like this ....oppps guess you have figureed out Im one of the Romantics you are so cynical of.

 

[Wisteria]

As far as charity work is concerned I am afraid I am a bit cynical. Who was it that wrote something about "so many banquets to help the starving in Africa" but getting back to Kate, she did do some charity work, she went a few rounds on a skating rink in skimpy shorts, she did appear for a photo shoot in a boat race but skeddadled when the photographers turned up.
She is not royalty yet, let her do some real work and show what she is worth. She has a degree, let her show the world what she is going to do with it besides taking a few photos of cakes and going on holiday.

As far as romance is concerned, I hope she finds someone rich and wonderful, just not my future king.

 

[Russophile]

Surely her parents pay her. Otherwise, it's slave labour--even if she is their daughter.

Hush! You'll give it away!


So.
Why hasn't Kate stepped out and made a stand for a charity?

 

[muriel]

Any chance that Wills or CH have asked her to keep a low profile and out of the public domain?

 

[Wisteria]

Any chance that Wills or CH have asked her to keep a low profile and out of the public domain?

A bit late for that. I still can´t understand why Kate has to be mixed up with charity. She seems to be living off her parents charity at the moment herself.
She is 28 or so and still living with them with them making excuses for her saying she is working for them although so far no one has seen more than her picture on their brochure.
Also I can´t imagine anyone from one of these large charitable organizations having a meeting and about inviting someone of high profile to be their champion, The Queen? The Princess Anne? Then some bright spark suddenly remembers, why not Kate Middleton who is going for holidays all the time with Prince William, she would be just the one to head our charity.... pleeeeease.

 

[Russophile]

If she stopped going on holiday and worked for a charity it might make her more credible.

 

[dbarn67]

If she stopped going on holiday and worked for a charity it might make her more credible.

ITA, that was my point. And you can do that without being the face of a charity etc. and still lie low if that's what ones boyfriend desires.

But I do think they'll get married at some point.

 

[Lady Ann]

on holiday.

As far as romance is concerned, I hope she finds someone rich and wonderful, just not my future king.

Well Im afraid i can't argue there as she will not be my future Queen... touche.............

 

[HRHofNothing]

... She seems to be living off her parents charity at the moment herself.

What's wrong with that? Its the perfect preparation for a life-time of living of the taxpayers money.

My biggest problem with Kate Middleton is her seemingly utter lack of doing anything with her life. She seems to have decided that one way or the other she is going to be the Princess William/ Princess of Wales/ Queen of England and her life has stagnated there. She just goes on holidays and mills around doing nothing. Being William's wife seems to be her only goal and ambition in life. Even if she works for the family business there are lots of ways to show that she is actively involved- and I doubt that she is going around party planning or serving as help at events the family caters or anything of that sort.

She has been known as waity-katy but it is not in the senses that people are waiting for William to propose, its just in the pathetic sense that she will wait for William to propose seemingly forever-she is so desperate for the ring that she will go nowhere no matter how much of a joke she becomes and IMO she is becoming a joke!

 

[rmay286]

I agree with many of the comments on here. But I do think that William and Kate will eventually get married--but not necessarily this summer or even in a year or two.

I think that if Kate found the right kind of charity work to get involved with, she wouldn't be criticized by the media for it, and maybe if she had been involved more publicly in charities years ago she wouldn't be getting the same level of criticism she does now. But, I also don't think she "owes" the British public anything until/unless she is royal.

 

[royalsmartie]

kate is the most boring royal to be ever i swear!!!!! her fashion is boring she has no personanality!He marry this woman thats the end of the brf!

 

[Jacknch]

Can anyone remember what Kate studied at university - so as to give a clue as to what career would be best suited to her? It seems pointless to go to university only to end up working for the family business!

I have to say that I am a little worried about Kate marrying William - especially when she is compared to other "royal brides to be". Letizia, Mary, Maxima had rather succesful jobs/careers that they had built up over time and they had great worth in these roles. However, they had the strength of character to make a bold and brave decision to marry into royalty - and take on the solemn and serious role that goes with it. Mary even gave up being able to live in her homeland and had to learn a whole new culture and language in order to be with the man she loves. Such sacrifices make me admire them highly. It seems that the only thing Kate will have to give up is much of her privacy and she has become used to that anyway over the years so the transformation in her life will be far less of an affect on her that other people in her position.

 

[muriel]

None of us know what she actually does. The tabloids would like us to believe that she does nothing and just waits for William to ring. The truth may well be different - she could be working full time for her parents business, a business that she has seen eveolve from the beginning. It is clear her parents are a hard working and successful lot - IMO, its quiet unlikley their daughter just lounges around. It is this information disconnect that the tabloids are playing on - after all, it sells far more papers rubishing her than not!

 

[Wisteria]

I am glad you said she "could be" I am afraid that I don´t quite fall for that one.
Many parents who are self-made try to make their children´s lives different from theirs. Just as many people who didn´t have many toys when they were children give their children too many. If Kate was working hard I am sure in all these years we would have heard something about it. In the meantime we know that her brother bakes cakes and what about her sister, is she working for the family business. Kate is the star of the family she is very close to nabbing the most eligible bachelor in the world and they are not going to let her break her nails working hard you can be fairly sure of that.

 

[muriel]

As private citizens, it is not for Kate or her siblings to inform any if us what they do for a living. Sure you are completely entitled to speculate. That said, my own view is that personal prejudices are difficult to rationalise against!

 

[cd_1]

there are no personal prejudices here. No one here knows her personally and therefore cannot possibly have any "personal prejudices". What we say is based on our opinion as the public and the people whose very hard earned tax pounds go to support the royal family, and potentially (now or in future) Kate. There is no denying that she does "nothing", for if she did even a single hour of decent "work", then out of the 100 tabloids who "rubbish" her to sell, there would be one who might report her actual job. There is usually some truth behind every rumour. Had she been working an actual job, no force on earth can stop it from being reported.

 

[Charlotte1]

There are no facts in this post only personal prejudices! Of course one can deny that she does 'nothing' do you personally follow her around each day to see what she does? Do you work for Party Planners and can categorically state Kate does 'nothing', if not then the commentary is just ignorant prejudice. Party Planners is a private company, the press cannot enter the company so exactly how can they report what she does. Kate and her family are private citizens covered by privacy law, she's even taken out court action to maintain that privacy, why do you feel you are entitled or anyone else is entitled to invade the privacy of an individual?

Rumours are rumours, most have no truth behind them at all, and more fool those who believe rumours!

The press make up stories, eg the dog eating antique earnings. So more fool too those who believe everything they read!

Even if Kate marries William she won't be getting funds from the tax payer, it will come from the private income of the Duchy of Cornwall.

 

[Jacknch]

I suppose we will have to wait until William and Kate are engaged before we learn much more about her. It occured to me that looking back, the courtships of Charles and Diana / Andrew and Sarah were reletively short and so before we knew it these couples were engaged and there was little time to delve into their backgrounds. But that was all 20/30 years ago and things have changed - the William / Kate courtship has been a prolonged one over many years and theres been more time for the media (and people) to get frustrated and full of speculation.

I do think that the media needs to be controlled more with regard to what it reports and how it reports it. I'm all for freedom of speech, but not freedom for making up loads of nonsense just to sell a few more copies to the weary public!

 

[Wisteria]

there are no personal prejudices here. No one here knows her personally...

Of course I absolutely agree with you cd.
One can have personal opinions, they are still permitted I believe, and my personal opinion is that Kate Middleton is not Queen material. Whether she is working her fingers to the bone at the family email company or not, is completely indifferent to me.
I am not impressed by Kate´s relatives, anyway the ones we have seen and heard, but that is also my personal opinion.
Now perhaps Charlotte you could explain to me about the Duchy of Cornwall and its monies? A complete mystery to some of us, but perhaps you could elucidate.

 

[muriel]

...you could explain to me about the Duchy of Cornwall and its monies? A complete mystery to some of us, but perhaps you could elucidate.

There is little to elucidate as regards the Duchy. See weblink below.

The Duchy estate was created in 1337 by Edward III for his son and heir, Prince Edward (later known as The Black Prince) who became the first Duke of Cornwall. The Duchy’s primary function is to provide an income from its assets for The Prince of Wales.


For many centuries it was traditional for families with landed estates to settle the land and other assets in trust, so that each generation could live off the income but were unable to dispose of the assets. This was done to ensure that the estate, and the income which it provided, survived from generation to generation. The same principle was applied to the Duchy of Cornwall.

Under the 1337 charter, and as confirmed by subsequent legislation, The Prince of Wales is not entitled to the proceeds or profit on the sale of assets, and only receives the annual income which they generate, which is voluntarily subject to income tax. Because of the importance of the beneficiary, the Duchy’s ‘trust provisions’ have, over the years, been set out in legislation, with the financial security of the Duchy overseen by HM Treasury.

The Duke chooses to use a large proportion of the income from the Duchy to meet the cost of his public and charitable work. The Duchy also funds the public, charitable and private activities of The Duchess of Cornwall and Princes William and Harry.



Duchy of Cornwall - About the Duchy - The Official Website for the Duchy of Cornwall

 

[muriel]

I do think that the media needs to be controlled more with regard to what it reports and how it reports it. I'm all for freedom of speech, but not freedom for making up loads of nonsense just to sell a few more copies to the weary public!

I think this is a very real issue, though I am not sure what the obvious solution is. This is especially relevant with regard to internet blogging and web based media whicch tend not to bt bound by the PCC and such other bodies.

 

[muriel]

There are no facts in this post only personal prejudices! Of course one can deny that she does 'nothing' do you personally follow her around each day to see what she does? Do you work for Party Planners and can categorically state Kate does 'nothing', if not then the commentary is just ignorant prejudice. Party Planners is a private company, the press cannot enter the company so exactly how can they report what she does. Kate and her family are private citizens covered by privacy law, she's even taken out court action to maintain that privacy, why do you feel you are entitled or anyone else is entitled to invade the privacy of an individual?

I could not agree more.

 

[Lady Ann]

Can anyone remember what Kate studied at university - so as to give a clue as to what career would be best suited to her? It seems pointless to go to university only to end up working for the family business!

Art History.....????????? Wow, was that it?

 

[Conny]

Royalsmartie. Kate isn´t royal. She is only Williams girlfriend. But boring, yes.

 

[cd_1]

There are no facts in this post only personal prejudices!...

I NEVER said I was entitled to reading about her activities, I just commented on the LACK of work news about her. We can comment on the LACK of news, without ASKING for that particular news.

 

[Wisteria]

My only hope is that Prince William won´t feel obligated to enter into what could be (or perhaps not be) an unsuitable marriage just to satisfy a gaggle of excited people who just want to ooh and aah at a royal wedding on the TV or passing in the street and fill the forum with details of her dress and shoes.

I found this interesting article about the Duchy of Cornwall if anyone is interested.

http://www.cornishworldmagazine.co.uk/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=138

 

[muriel]

I NEVER said I was entitled to reading about her activities...

I am not sure Charlotte is confirming that Kate is working 100 hour weeks at Party Planners or anything at all about Kate's activities.

 

[mrsbugman]

I don't know Kate, of course. Mostly only what I read here. But as for boring. I think that is a little strong of a word to use. She hasn't given any interviews so we can't see her "wit" and/or "charm". She does smile when she is with the Prince, so I would say they enjoy each other. (I think it is a pretty smile.) I hope it is love. I like happy endings. No matter how she is now, she will grow into her public role. Will have better choices and advice on a whole lot of areas of her life (that she doesn't have now). Fashion will not be the only one I am sure. I think she has a better idea of what is going to happen then either Diana or Sarah did, and if she is smart at all she will learn from those experiences. All of this is my opinion, of course. But we don't know the "real" Kate, and I suppose Prince William does, and I guess so far he likes what he sees/knows. But again I like happy endings.

 

[Idriel]

There are no facts in this post only personal prejudices!

Well, let's see what facts we have regarding miss Middleton.

She graduated from one of the most prestigious universities of England.
After months of idling (as documented almost daily with pictures of her shopping around and partying in London) she gained employment at Jigsaw as an accessory buyer. Her employer went on record to say that Kate requested a job that would only be 3 or 4 days a week so that she could have free time to I quote "pursue her relationship with a high-profile man". A few months into her employment the aforementioned relationship broke down and Kate asked, and was granted, a compassionate leave (!). And what did she do during that leave? She partied at high-profile nightclubs, went to social events (again, all this is documented with pictures of her smiling brightly for the paps), went on holidays at Ibiza and god knows where else, etc. She also trained for charity rowing challenge, which she quit before it took part, but not before she had an opportunity to pose for Hello magazine.
After she left that job after less than a year and went on to work for her parents (when did that start is unclear). The only thing we know for sure she has done at PP is setting up a new section of their website because she was given credit for it on their website.

Those are the facts.

Now, my interpretation of these facts is that they paint the picture of a woman with no work-ethic whatsoever, more interested in having a good-time and being available for her boyfriend than building a career and standing on her own two feet.
Considering the modest size of PP, none of the jobs she does or is rumored to do for them (photographing products and setting-up a web-page) can be considered anything more than part-time occupation, assignments to keep her somehow 'busy'. Certainly not a career or a full-time job.
Now, it may be that she has been doing impressive work behind the scenes but considering we are informed of the slightest career moves of her sister and her brother in particular, and also considering how media-friendly the family has proven to be when it comes to promote their business (their latest stunt of invading their own privacy on their website being an illustration of that) the idea that Kate's many achievements are kept under wrap like a state secret seems utterly preposterous to me.
Imo, we don't hear much about what she does because there isn't much to be said, period.

Now, you are free to disagree wholly with this interpretation (and I know you will). But saying that we have no facts is simply untrue and calling those who disagree with your views 'fools' is plain rude.