William and Kate: engagement and relationship rumours and musings 2005 - 2008

[Menarue]

Firstly what was said about Kate I am sure had nothing to do with the good cause that the money was being raised for. She is in the public eye because of her friendship with the Prince and she wore a skimpy outfit, she fell down legs akimbo so you can´t blame photographers for earning their money.
She was criticized for not doing charity work, to me that is ridiculous, she is not royal yet and royalty are expected to "earn their keep" by supporting good causes. Kate could have helped in many ways, if the idea was for her to attract attention to this money raising event well she did. If it were little Miss Brown in the same outfit no one would have known about it.
Fair to her or not I have the feeling that Kate wanted to be seen to be raising money, and if it raised money that is good I won´t argue with that,
but perhaps she could do it in another way when she is royal she can act royal but it may be better for her to keep the low profile she has in the last few months as most of her "good intentions" seem to backfire on her.
By the way does anyone know exactly how much money was raised for this particular cause by this particular event?
Unfortunately it is quite often all show and little cash.

 

[Idriel]

First, I would like to join Mermaid in congratulating you for surviving your ordeal.

Personally, I may feel a little more strongly than most about this glaring omission from the discussion about the event as I am a cancer survivor myself but, honestly, I think a bit too much attention was given to what Kate wore and how often she lost her footing as opposed to emphasizing what she was trying to raise money for.

But how could you expect anything else?
The format of the event was all wrong: do you really expect any self-respecting journalist to write up a serious article about the very tragic story of this boy and the serious issue of Cancer alongside pictures of youth having raucous fun looking like extras in Saturday Night Fever?
This kind of event will never be picked up by serious journalists, because these are the most shallow ways of approaching serious issues. It will only be covered by gossip mongerers, where the attention will focus (unsurprisingly) on the gossip and the fluff and not on the cause.

Serious publications certainly write a lot about Cancer (just do a 'Cancer' research on the Guardian or the Times), so the party and its goal wasn't ignored by serious journalists because they think the public will find it boring, or is too shallow to care about real issues. It was ignored because it was a party.

However, you can't blame Kate for that. It is the "Enquiring Minds Want to Know" mentality that is to blame. People would rather read an article about her that infers embarrassment because of an awkward photo than do something compassionate like paying attention to the cause itself.

I think you are under-estimating the intelligence of the public. People are not dumb.
When it comes to the reading of the news, your brains attune to the level of what we are reading. I don't read articles about Angelina Jolie's pregnancies with the same attention and seriousness I read about Obama's cabinet picks.
People's brain will tend to switch off when reading an article about a party, you can't blame the public either.

The sad part is, if she had done this low key, it would have been completely unworthy of any news coverage at all.

I have given examples of very high-profiles charity outings where journalist where present and who got the point across because there were no distraction. If you present things in a format that makes it possible for journalists to write about it with a straight face, you will get serious coverage.

At this point however, Kate isn't a royal so it isn't her place to do high profile charity projects. But if she wants to involve herself, nothing prevents her to do more low-key projects, at a community level, like thousands of anonymous people do. It won't get worldwide coverage, but who cares? Certainly not the people she will be helping.

No matter what she does, there are those who have to find fault with her

I feel this is at least partly directed to me, because I have been the most critical.
I will just say I have cited ways she could do charity that would not get a pip from me, only praise.
And so it can't be said I never have a good thing to say about the girl, the Party Pieces initiative that will bring Party Kits to hospitals children this Christmas is certainly the kind of charity work I can only praise, as it will bring real relief to real people with minimal fuss.

And those who are bored to tears by my rants, I promise this is the last one I'll do on that subject.

 

[Menarue]

Idriel don´t stop, what you said was all very good sense. Cancer is too serious a subject to be lost in a column in a gossip magazine because a bunch of society kids decide to have a party with the excuse that it is to raise money for it. The good deed was lost in sequins and spills and giggles which is a shame.
Of course you feel keenly Kime, but do you really think Kate did the cause any favour by this exhibition? Congratulations for your cure, good for you, and all other cancer survivors. My husband caught his in time this year.

 

[Little_star]

Excellent post, Idriel.

 

[Boris]

Indeed an excellent post, Idriel.
It's nice to read comments based upon common sense here - they don't equal rants at all but more a voice of reason.

 

[Incas]

It's incredible how sanctimonious strangers can get based on bias and gossips.

 

[Duchess]

First, I would like to join Mermaid in congratulating you for surviving your ordeal. But how could you expect anything else?
The format of the event was all wrong: do you really expect any self-respecting journalist to write up a serious article about the very tragic story of this boy and the serious issue of Cancer alongside pictures of youth having raucous fun looking like extras in Saturday Night Fever?
This kind of event will never be picked up by serious journalists, because these are the most shallow ways of approaching serious issues. It will only be covered by gossip mongerers, where the attention will focus (unsurprisingly) on the gossip and the fluff and not on the cause....

well i really have to say you're way off base here. many of the most successful fundraising events in most places are fun and joyous events nowadays. look at elton john's annual aids fundraiser? it's a glitzy, celebrity studded affair. in the city where i live, we have an annual breast cancer fundraiser here and it's designed to show people a good time. i'm afraid though that you won't be happy with any of it. it's called "titz and glitz" and people are encouraged to wear weird "breast" themed outfits or costumes. it's one of the biggest fundraising events in the city and all the papers and news shows in the area cover it. not all fundraisers have to be somber, funeral like events. people are more likely to open their purses if they're having a good time. would rather that these events all took place in darkened rooms with sad music playing and everyone wearing black?

 

[cd_1]

rumors of pregnancy and being invited to christams by the royals??? i just might explode with excitement!!!
serious question though: why does kate always take the taxi (the one with the yellow handles is a taxi, right?) while out partying and why not her own car?

 

[Duchess]

rumors of pregnancy and being invited to christams by the royals??? i just might explode with excitement!!!
serious question though: why does kate always take the taxi (the one with the yellow handles is a taxi, right?) while out partying and why not her own car?

if you've ever been in london, it's not hard to understand why a taxi is her mode of transportation at least for a night out. traffic is crazy and parking is probably equally so. not to mention that at least when taking a taxi, drinking and driving isn't going to be an issue.

 

[cd_1]

no ive never been to london, thanks for explaining!! so does william too take a taxi? isnt that a security issue?

 

[Penny Royalty]

You write well Idriel. I commend you for explaining yourself thoroughly and thoughtfully. The involvement of works for charity is also commendable as it is an outreach to embetter the lives of those in need. For that I commend all who spend their energies and resources to help others. Bringing causes to awareness is fit for many who are in the limelight, and many find it a path to join and follow. The accumulation of the people to share in a plight for good deed is attributable to say the least because in essence they are progressing a voice to a better tomorrow. I'm glad that I find Kate trying to bring understanding to a cause for outreach patients of cancer. That her attempt was to arouse everyone I might not think because there was a small partaking by those at the arena. The event was not entirely that large or extravagantly promoted. Maybe we are seeing what could progress more extensively in time. Kate may be starting a path to such endeavors. Who knows? But I think she deserves credit for considering people in bouts with cancer as a decision to follow as she and Will ponder about their share in Britain's destiny. Not meaning to offend or to scare you or anyone else Idriel. I too want to find earnest and truth in portrayal. And I too am concerned about the less fortunate and in need. I'm sure Kate means to do no harm.

 

[Boris]

in the city where i live, we have an annual breast cancer fundraiser here and it's designed to show people a good time. i'm afraid though that you won't be happy with any of it. it's called "titz and glitz" and people are encouraged to wear weird "breast" themed outfits or costumes. it's one of the biggest fundraising events in the city and all the papers and news shows in the area cover it. not all fundraisers have to be somber, funeral like events.

Sorry, but a very good friend of mine just had to undergo a double mastectomy three weeks ago and I seriously doubt that she would feel to be able to come up with enough (black?) humor to go to a cancer charity event called ‘Titz and glitz’.
And why go from one extreme to the other? Charity events neither have to be silly ‘70s Roller Boogie’ revivals like Miss Middleton’s, with themes that have no relation to their cause anymore, nor funerals.
Justified criticism can be directed at both, but surely there’s room for something entertaining AND classy in the middle.

 

[Menarue]

You write well Idriel. I commend you for explaining yourself thoroughly and thoughtfully. The involvement of works for charity is also commendable as it is an outreach to embetter the lives of those in need. For that I commend all who spend their energies and resources to help others. Bringing causes to awareness is fit for many who are in the limelight, and many find it a path to join and follow. The accumulation of the people to share in a plight for good deed is attributable to say the least because in essence they are progressing a voice to a better tomorrow. I'm glad that I find Kate trying to bring understanding to a cause for outreach patients of cancer. That her attempt was to arouse everyone I might not think because there was a small partaking by those at the arena. The event was not entirely that large or extravagantly promoted. Maybe we are seeing what could progress more extensively in time. Kate may be starting a path to such endeavors. Who knows? But I think she deserves credit for considering people in bouts with cancer as a decision to follow as she and Will ponder about their share in Britain's destiny. Not meaning to offend or to scare you or anyone else Idriel. I too want to find earnest and truth in portrayal. And I too am concerned about the less fortunate and in need. I'm sure Kate means to do no harm.

Of course she doesn´t mean to do harm, in my opinion she wants to ingratiate herself to the British public so that they will be more accepting of her as the future Queen, instead of Waity Katy she will become Charity Katy.
I will go back to the question, does anyone know how much money this caper gave to the cause of cancer? This little outing cannot be compared to a big affair in Canada that raises so much money for the breast cancer cause.....

 

[firelight]

I guess partying in the name of charity is still better than partying simply for the sake of it.

As Boris has pointed out, it's entirely possible to have a fundraising event which is fun without being trashy. What's more, it's entirely possible to get involved in charity / humanitarian work without the partying. I used to volunteer with a charity organisation and there was this elderly lady there who had been helping out at their charity store sorting donated goods for re-sale every weekend of her life for twenty years. And given the vast amount of press attention on Kate, if she did something even really low key for a charity, we would all hear about it - plenty of publicity for the charity!

My point is, there is no need to throw a party for charity. There are millions of other ways - more substantial and useful ways - to help a good cause. The fact she has chosen the party route makes me feel that we can't take her seriously. This is unfortunate because for all we know she may be very passionate about the cause she's promoting. But if she wants to be taken seriously, she has to start doing something more substantial with her life than throwing / attending parties.

 

[kimebear]

When it comes to the reading of the news, your brains attune to the level of what we are reading. I don't read articles about Angelina Jolie's pregnancies with the same attention and seriousness I read about Obama's cabinet picks.
People's brain will tend to switch off when reading an article about a party, you can't blame the public either.

Actually, I can blame the public. Most of the articles recalling the details of the roller disco mentioned, very specifically, what the charity was for. If the reader doesn't pay attention to what an article says about the charity because they are too distracted by Kate's pink leg warmers, then that says more about them then it does about Kate.

While I was reading the various articles about her late friend, it was mentioned several times that he was a very jolly, fun loving young man who, even though he lost a leg at a young age, managed to be quite sporty. I had always assumed that the roller disco was held because it may have been a private joke between the friends. (How many '80s roller disco parties do you see, after all? There must be some story there). So while it may not have been as 'serious' as some would like, it might have been more of what the deceased would have wanted and that is the more important part.

Discussions like this just emphasize the fact that we don't know William and Kate personally, and the snapshot moments we see of them may not always tell the whole story of who they are and why they do what they do. People are complex creatures and, while it may be fun to speculate, it is not doing justice to someone when you judge them as a whole by having only .05% of the picture.

 

[georgiea]

I like Kate Middleton a lot. The photo of her bra will make her think out her outfits in the future I hope!

 

[Little_star]

While I was reading the various articles about her late friend, it was mentioned several times that he was a very jolly, fun loving young man who, even though he lost a leg at a young age, managed to be quite sporty. I had always assumed that the roller disco was held because it may have been a private joke between the friends. (How many '80s roller disco parties do you see, after all? There must be some story there).

Roller discos are incredibly fashionable here and have been for the last year or so. I doubt there was any private joke involved.

 

[Mermaid1962]

No, that's not it, Idriel. I didn't have anyone specifically in mind. Honestly. It's more an attitude that I've picked up on from reading various message boards.

I feel this is at least partly directed to me, because I have been the most critical.

 

[Duchess]

Sorry, but a very good friend of mine just had to undergo a double mastectomy three weeks ago and I seriously doubt that she would feel to be able to come up with enough (black?) humor to go to a cancer charity event called ‘Titz and glitz’.
And why go from one extreme to the other? Charity events neither have to be silly ‘70s Roller Boogie’ revivals like Miss Middleton’s, with themes that have no relation to their cause anymore, nor funerals.
Justified criticism can be directed at both, but surely there’s room for something entertaining AND classy in the middle.

while i'm no fan of the title they chose for the annual event, i have to admit that it's one of, if not the THE, most successful fundraiser in this city. my point was that journalists/media outlets will report on these types of events, and as they say in show business, any publicity is good publicity.

 

[Duchess]

This little outing cannot be compared to a big affair in Canada that raises so much money for the breast cancer cause.....

i'm sure any funds raised for any cause are hugely appreciated by the recipient, regardless of the amount of money raised or how silly some peole might see the event. catherine and the group involved had the very best of intentions at heart. their efforts should be applauded regardless of how much they raised.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

First, I would like to join Mermaid in congratulating you for surviving your ordeal. But how could you expect anything else?
The format of the event was all wrong: do you really expect any self-respecting journalist to write up a serious article about the very tragic story of this boy and the serious issue of Cancer alongside pictures of youth having raucous fun looking like extras in Saturday Night Fever?
This kind of event will never be picked up by serious journalists, because these are the most shallow ways of approaching serious issues. It will only be covered by gossip mongerers, where the attention will focus (unsurprisingly) on the gossip and the fluff and not on the cause.

Serious publications certainly write a lot about Cancer (just do a 'Cancer' research on the Guardian or the Times), so the party and its goal wasn't ignored by serious journalists because they think the public will find it boring, or is too shallow to care about real issues. It was ignored because it was a party.I think you are under-estimating the intelligence of the public. People are not dumb.
When it comes to the reading of the news, your brains attune to the level of what we are reading. I don't read articles about Angelina Jolie's pregnancies with the same attention and seriousness I read about Obama's cabinet picks.
People's brain will tend to switch off when reading an article about a party, you can't blame the public either.
I have given examples of very high-profiles charity outings where journalist where present and who got the point across because there were no distraction. If you present things in a format that makes it possible for journalists to write about it with a straight face, you will get serious coverage.

At this point however, Kate isn't a royal so it isn't her place to do high profile charity projects. But if she wants to involve herself, nothing prevents her to do more low-key projects, at a community level, like thousands of anonymous people do. It won't get worldwide coverage, but who cares? Certainly not the people she will be helping.I feel this is at least partly directed to me, because I have been the most critical.
I will just say I have cited ways she could do charity that would not get a pip from me, only praise.
And so it can't be said I never have a good thing to say about the girl, the Party Pieces initiative that will bring Party Kits to hospitals children this Christmas is certainly the kind of charity work I can only praise, as it will bring real relief to real people with minimal fuss.

And those who are bored to tears by my rants, I promise this is the last one I'll do on that subject.

Well, Idriel, I think you made very interesting points here. While I can't blame Kate for how people (press and public alike) perceive her and interpret her actions, I can fully empathize with your variation of attention span to serious vs. "party" topics. I think we could spend a lifetime analyzing the particulars of why Kate involves herself in certain charitable ventures, and yet never come up with a unianimous conclusion (and therefore continue to go round and round the merry go round). But I have to admit that I rarely read articles about Kate with much focus. I read over them either very quickly, sparingly, or not at all. So the consequence is that I miss details like the story behind this roller disco charity, the kid who died from bone cancer or something. It's sad about the kid, but I completely missed it at the time because I chose not to read more into the roller disco thing. You're right about that. One sees friends out doing roller disco and you just assume it's a fun night out for the girls or something, who cares, moving onto the "important" news.
That said, I think Kate can involve herself in this kind of thing. I think someone said this guy was her friend and anyone can do this kind of thing. You certainly don't have to be royal to organize or help with a charity event for a cause connected to loved ones. Kate simply has an advantage (or disadvantage? depends how you view it) over most people. She has immense name recognition. If she does something like this, people analyze it. It's game for all manner of positive and negative criticism: too silly, not dignified, too showy offy, or take your pick of potential criticisms.

Idriel, your "rants" aren't boring. They are passionate, but not boring.

 

[Incas]

The latest piece from Katie Nicholl: Royal Wedding? It may never happen, says Kate Middleton's mother | Mail Online. Mrs. Middleton getting her turn again as the pushy-mama.

 

[Iluvbertie]

The latest piece from Katie Nicholl: Royal Wedding? It may never happen, says Kate Middleton's mother | Mail Online. Mrs. Middleton getting her turn again as the pushy-mama.

Or a mother making a fairly innocuous comment that has been made into a story.

Like any mother she is worried a bit about how things will turn out for her daughter - to my mind the article says nothing more than that. Rather an obvious comment from any mother and hardly worth a full article - except that it is Mrs Middleton and it is the slow time for Royal News.

 

[Royal Fan]

I Actually sorta hope it does happen!

 

[Ella Kay]

Oh, Katie Nicholl. Always entertaining.

 

[Menarue]

i'm sure any funds raised for any cause are hugely appreciated by the recipient, regardless of the amount of money raised or how silly some peole might see the event. catherine and the group involved had the very best of intentions at heart. their efforts should be applauded regardless of how much they raised.

I am interested to know how you know the group had the very best intentions at heart? Some people here think that it was used as an excuse for a jolly good time.
How much was raised is of interest, I might change my opinion (I know that doesn´t matter) if they had given a decent amount to this charity, as they seem to have used the charity to get some publicity mainly for Kate to show how charitable she is.
Back to how much was raised was it published anywhere?

 

[Jo of Palatine]

I am interested to know how you know the group had the very best intentions at heart? Some people here think that it was used as an excuse for a jolly good time.
How much was raised is of interest, I might change my opinion (I know that doesn´t matter) if they had given a decent amount to this charity, as they seem to have used the charity to get some publicity mainly for Kate to show how charitable she is.
Back to how much was raised was it published anywhere?

You are certainly not very charitable at this time of the year. Give the girl the benefit of the doubt, for undoubtedly anyone telling of any form of misuse concerning Catherine and charity would find more than open and willing ears at the various papers. But noone except on internet forums asked for any kind of proof that she didn't commit any sort of misconduct when it comes to her charitable work.

I find it rather tasteless to assume that as long as it's not proven beyond any doubt that nothing untoward happed, it is correct to believe in another person's misconduct even though there is not one bit of evidence to imply there might be reason to have a closer look.

 

[Menarue]

You are certainly not very charitable at this time of the year. Give the girl the benefit of the doubt, for undoubtedly anyone telling of any form of misuse concerning Catherine and charity would find more than open and willing ears at the various papers. But noone except on internet forums asked for any kind of proof that she didn't commit any sort of misconduct when it comes to her charitable work.

I find it rather tasteless to assume that as long as it's not proven beyond any doubt that nothing untoward happed, it is correct to believe in another person's misconduct even though there is not one bit of evidence to imply there might be reason to have a closer look.

I find it tasteless to assume that my intentions are to find something untoward, I know what charitable events are and I know they are to raise money for good causes, I would like to know how much was raised that´s all.
Who said I believed what she did was misconduct, no way, I just think she did it to get attention and she certainly did, if that is misconduct and then perhaps I do believe that. You can give the benefit of your doubt to anyone you please as so can I, in this case I am slightly dubious.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

The latest piece from Katie Nicholl: Royal Wedding? It may never happen, says Kate Middleton's mother | Mail Online. Mrs. Middleton getting her turn again as the pushy-mama.

Mrs Middleton senior is just as pathetic as her daughter when it comes down to dealing with the media. Why don't they just shut up and get on with their life like any other private person - they always claim they are. If Kate had concentrated on a serious career in whatever business, like Chelsy, instead of publicly playing the waiting game for years, she and her family now wouldn't be in that image trap "pushy mother & I'd-do-anything-for-that-ring-even-make-a-fool-of-myself daughter".

 

[Skydragon]

The latest piece from Katie Nicholl: Royal Wedding? It may never happen, says Kate Middleton's mother | Mail Online. Mrs. Middleton getting her turn again as the pushy-mama.

Ahh, the old 'confided to (unnamed) friends' story - again!