The Duchess of Cornwall current events 11: February-July 2008 - Page 8

Skydragon · #**141** 07-02-2008, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milla Ca

Duchess of Cornwall performs half as many engagements as Queen
July 2

The Duchess of Cornwall performed 201 official engagements last year, 10 per cent fewer than in the previous 12 months.

Duchess of Cornwall performs half as many engagements as Queen - Telegraph

The article does say that -

Quote:

Clarence House said that the 10 per cent reduced workload for the Duchess, 61, was caused by the two months' convalesence she required after a hysterectomy last year

Unable to work for 2 months, that would affect anyones record.

milla Ca · #**142** 07-02-2008, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skydragon

The article does say that - Unable to work for 2 months, that would affect anyones record.

And we know that the quality of her engagements and her work ´in the background´ ( writing letters to injured soldiers...etc...) gives a better pic of her ´royal duties´ than only a number can do.
But the press uses it to speak again about Camilla as a ´lazy royal´, therefore i hope it will change with the next annual review.

Russophile · #**143** 07-02-2008, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skydragon

The article does say that - Unable to work for 2 months, that would affect anyones record.

Well for goodness sake! I had a hysterectomy at 27 due to cancer. I was wiped for a week! I couldn't imagine being 61 and having one, let alone being currently 42. I'm sure I'd be out for at least 3 weeks. It gets harder to heal when you get older. They should cut her some slack fer cryin' out loud!

muriel · #**144** 07-03-2008, 04:48 AM

As somebody who has been a staunch supporter of Camilla, I have to admit, albeit reluctantly, that this is an area where Camilla is exposing herself to criticism. It really is the same story every year. She really does need to be doing a lot more engagements. We all know she is a "reluctant" royal, and this was not what she wanted to take on, but this is really the price of being married to the PoW. If you have not workedformost of ytour life, it is quite digfficult to take on a full schedule when you are nearly 60 - but Camilla has now been married for over 3 years and she should have fully acclimatised to the new regime. I know she does a lot of work out of the public eye, and that the "quality" of her engagements is very high, but Clarence House does need to keep an eye on the sheer number of engagements she does. I know this list of engagements is just a "league table", but it certainly matters from the point of view of public perception. I think this really is one of the only points of criticism against her, and let this not get on the way of her being made Queen. She has won public acceptance, but just needs to be seen to be working hard for the causes she supports. If at 87 the DoE can do 350, she really should try and increase the number of engagements to that sort of level. After all, she will be the consort of the King, and will then be expected to carry out a lot more engagements.

Skydragon · #**145** 07-03-2008, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russophile

Well for goodness sake! I had a hysterectomy at 27 due to cancer. I was wiped for a week! I couldn't imagine being 61 and having one, let alone being currently 42. I'm sure I'd be out for at least 3 weeks. It gets harder to heal when you get older. They should cut her some slack fer cryin' out loud!

Lets face it, if she did 300% more engagements than everyone else, these people would still find something to complain about. I would rather have Camilla 'engaged' for the morning in one of my causes, than a 5 minute walk by, that some of the other royals offer.

A friend has recently undergone a hysterectomy at the age of 56 and 4 months on she is struggling. Standing for any period of time is, she says, crippling. Even our forays into the multitude of shops in London have been curtailed, she just can't do it. So imagine if you are expected to walk about, smile, make small talk..... Healing takes place at different rates for different people and dependant upon their age. Just because one woman is able very quickly to resume a 'normal' life, doesn't mean every woman would feel up to it.

I think anyone who has had a Ceasarian or Hysterectomy, or man that has undergone abdominal surgery, would have every sympathy for her.

Goodness, when some men 'suffer' from 'man flu', the whole world stops!

iowabelle · #**146** 07-03-2008, 02:11 PM

I think the statistic is rather unfair to the Duchess. We don't know for sure how long she spends at each engagement or how much prep time is required for her and her staff. I'm sure that, despite their ages, the Queen and DoE are acquainted with many of the people they meet, their background, etc. and can remember some of these things. Camilla is a relative newbie. (And I'm sure in deference to age that the Queen's and DoE's engagements are kept shorter.) Perhaps it's better that the Duchess attend fewer events but concentrate on making a good showing when she appears.

BellaFay · #**147** 07-03-2008, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iowabelle

I think the statistic is rather unfair to the Duchess. We don't know for sure how long she spends at each engagement or how much prep time is required for her and her staff. I'm sure that, despite their ages, the Queen and DoE are acquainted with many of the people they meet, their background, etc. and can remember some of these things. Camilla is a relative newbie. (And I'm sure in deference to age that the Queen's and DoE's engagements are kept shorter.) Perhaps it's better that the Duchess attend fewer events but concentrate on making a good showing when she appears.

I agree with you. The 'league table' of engagements that supposedly assesses how hard a 'royal' works by the number of engagements is in fact biased in favour of someone like the Queen. For example only the Queen can greet and say farewell to ambassadors & to judge by tv programmes such meetings take an average of 10-15 minutes. So the Queen can theoretically notch up 4-6 engagements in one hour without moving from the Palace. Whereas Camilla might take an hour & a half going round a hospice for sick children in Oxford & that doesn't account for the travel time there & back. Besides which the Queen is patron of hundreds of charities and institutions, whereas I don't think Camilla has even notched up 50 yet.

charlottestreasures · #**148** 07-03-2008, 10:03 PM

Give the woman a break.
She has behaved fawlessly since her marriage to Charles.

georgiea · #**149** 07-05-2008, 08:28 PM

Meet the sister and childhood rival that Camilla simply can't do without... even if it does involve a £103,000 fee | Mail Online

I don't believe this. Must be a slow news day.

Monika_ · #**150** 07-05-2008, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muriel

As somebody who has been a staunch supporter of Camilla...

I totally agree. It has been three years and the excuses are becoming tiresome. This is one area where she has total control over her image. She should find a handful of causes close to her heart and run with it. I realize she's not 25, but she opted to become a senior royal and it comes with a price. Can anyone imagine the Queen going on a vacation in just a few short weeks after the Christmas break at Sandringham, or not hearing about any engagement for weeks at a time? And I rather doubt she does SO much behind the scenes since it would hardly be in CH's best interest to keep it quiet.

milla Ca · #**151** 07-06-2008, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monika_

She should find a handful of causes close to her heart and run with it. .

Here are ´a handful of causes close to her heart´ she´s working hard for, not to mention that she supports her husband in all he does (also at official engagements).

The Duchess of Cornwall´s patronages and charities:

The Prince of Wales - Charities and Patronages

**Warren** · #**152** 07-06-2008, 04:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monika_

She should find a handful of causes close to her heart and run with it.

To help bring you up to speed on the causes Camilla does support and her activities in supporting them, you can have a look through the Duchess of Cornwall Patronages thread.

Skydragon · #**153** 07-06-2008, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monika_

And I rather doubt she does SO much behind the scenes since it would hardly be in CH's best interest to keep it quiet.

She spends a great deal of time writing and visiting servicemen and their families, mainly wounded men and women and the families of the dead, most of whom prefer to meet her without the glare of the cameras at such a difficult time.

That is why she has become such a favourite with many servicemen and women. IMO, they feel very fortunate that she is prepared to visit them as people and not use them as a publicity stunt.

MARG · #**154** 07-06-2008, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skydragon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monika_

This is one area where she has total control over her image. She should find a handful of causes close to her heart and run with it. And I rather doubt she does SO much behind the scenes since it would hardly be in CH's best interest to keep it quiet.

Total control of this one area? You have got to be kidding. As to how much she does behind the scenes, well we really have not credible way of quantifying it. And as for CH publicising what she does do, why should they?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skydragon

She spends a great deal of time writing and visiting servicemen and their families, mainly wounded men and women and the families of the dead, most of whom prefer to meet her without the glare of the cameras at such a difficult time.

That is why she has become such a favourite with many servicemen and women. IMO, they feel very fortunate that she is prepared to visit them as people and not use them as a publicity stunt.

I absolutely agree. Camilla does not use people in fear and pain as a publicity "photo op". She just beavers away doing real things for and with real people and they respond with a growing respect and admiration for a woman who voluntarily shares her time and resources to give them a little comfort and hope and respect.

The continual harping on about numbers . . . . of "appearances", "engagements" ad nauseum, ad infinitum, is repugnant. Prince Charles married a living, breathing, compassionate woman, who is not afraid to be herself, even if her work behind the scenes is rated as no work at all by the ignorant, misguided or just plain mean spirited.

Monika_ · #**155** 07-06-2008, 08:34 AM

I'm aware of the list of patronages. But sorry, I still think she is work-shy. I don't want to say what Mr Bolland said about her being monumentally [fill in the blank], but surely there must be something to it. Also, now we hear that his Private Secretary, Elizabeth Buchanan, is leaving at the end of the year. Supposedly, the real reason is because there's tension between her and Camilla over her influence on Charles (hmmm...) and Ms Buchanan's feeling that Camilla doesn't fully carry her weight. I'm not suggesting everything written in papers is true, but when you continue to see the same theme and when you add the vacations and other absences, it's difficult not to think there's SOMETHING to it all.

And Marg.... I don't think it's necessary to call people "ignorant, misguided or just plain mean spirited" simply because they have a different point of view. I was under the impression that we all have a right to express our opinions in the subject matter in a courteous manner. Warren can correct me if I'm wrong.

BellaFay · #**156** 07-06-2008, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monika_

I totally agree. It has been three years and the excuses are becoming tiresome. This is one area where she has total control over her image. She should find a handful of causes close to her heart and run with it. I realize she's not 25, but she opted to become a senior royal and it comes with a price. Can anyone imagine the Queen going on a vacation in just a few short weeks after the Christmas break at Sandringham, or not hearing about any engagement for weeks at a time? And I rather doubt she does SO much behind the scenes since it would hardly be in CH's best interest to keep it quiet.

It's harder than you think to notch up hundreds of engagements if you've only been asked to be patron of 44 charities/regiments so far. Besides which she isn't in control of whether or not the press cover the engagements she does perform. For example over the last weeks the Daily Mail totally ignored every single one of Camilla's engagements in Wales and chose only to show her paddling in the sea on a day when her husband's entire day was taken up with private meetings for his Welsh charities. Equally the Mail ignored Camilla's attendance at the national commemoration for British war veterans. This despite the fact that the Mail purports to be a national newspaper. Finally I should point out that the Queen's Christmas break extends until February 8th (the day after the anniversary of her father's death). So this year that was only a few weeks away from her Easter break.

georgiea · #**157** 07-06-2008, 10:47 AM

Didn't BP give more of the Queen's engagements to both Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall this year?

I think that it I is hard to become a royal in your late 50's. I am a Diana fan, but I am giving the Duchess a break. The papers just want to dig up dirt.

I don't think the Duchess has ever done a wrong step since being married. The fair that she and the Prince just went to; they had a lot of pictures of the Duchess truly enjoying herself. If she and her husband are happy with her engagements; and in the photos we see they look VERY happy; then I am going to let this matter rest.