Sorry in advance, this is kind of a long post.
I agree with you 100%, Vita!!
I for one don't mind her taking the time to learn about the Family and how the "Firm" works
Don't forget Kate has to learn how the organization works from the inside out.
But isn't this what their taking 8 years to get married was partly about? PW said in their engagement interview that he wanted to give her a loooong time to see what she'd be getting into if she joined his family (and back out if she wanted to or felt she couldn't handle it). Didn't they also imply in that interview that they've pretty much been engaged since they got back together in 2007, so if that's the case, she's already had 4 years to think about life in "The Firm."
I know things are different once you are actually married but really, they've been together for almost a decade so it's not like Charles and Diana where they had really only been in each others company a dozen or so times before getting married. If it was a situation like that then (again, IMO) I could see wanting to give her lots of time to learn the ropes but DoCa is supposed to be such a smart, level-headed, hardworking woman so I just can't see why she needs another several years of playing housewife, tucked away in Wales.
Sans the official certificate, they've already been living as a married couple for several (6-7?) years so it's just puzzling and kind of shocking to me that she/they want to take MORE time for her to be a housewife. I know that, obviously, she wants to live more in PW's shadow than what happened with Diana but if I were her, I'd be out there right away showing - as QE said in that radio address - that I'm ready to devote the rest of my life to serving the British people (or whatever she said - the rest of her life in service, etc) since she will one day be queen consort. I know she is not in the same position as QE but, I dunno, it just seems like DoCa is taking the extreme opposite position.
If PW is really being deployed, I'm curious what she is literally going to do ALL DAY LONG. She won't be preparing dinner for Wills since he is gone...seriously, what will she do? I know she has to get ready for Canada, but seriously, can't she multi-task?! I think it will look terrible for her if she just stays home for those several (10?) weeks. I don't know if it's the kind of thing that would be done, but I'd like to tag along with QE on a couple of events. Just walking quietly behind, still just watching and learning, but being out there in the public eye to build up a bit of a reputation for going all in. Or at the very least, being willing to go all in.
Is it so surprising that she and William just want to be a "normal" married couple...how ever you define that term?
I don't think it's surprising at all, but, this is kind of the problem for me...they are not "normal." And I kind of feel that if you're going to accept all the pomp and privilege (money, land, power, jewels, protection, houses, etc etc) that come with that family then a) you're not going to have a "normal" life anyway (if that is what you want, then you should abdicate your place in line and go get a job like the rest of us "normal" folks) and b) you should use your position - the one she has right now, as the wife of the heir to the heir - to start helping people.
She's already signed up for a rather grueling tour of Canada only 2 months into the marriage. That in itself is a huge deal. No new royal bride has gone on an overseas tour so soon.
I'm not trying to be argumentative, but given the accommodations, servants, personal assistants, private planes, lead time, etc that the royals have, I just can't accept "grueling" to describe any part of their lives...I know being "on" all the time and going on walk-abouts is stressful until you get the hang of it, but, honestly, they do that for what, a few hours and then get to retreat to a palace? My heart can't really bleed for them that their lives are so hard...
Also, didn't Charles and Diana go on a long trip right after their marriage? Or was that the one to Australia after PW was born? I guess it was because they took PW, but I know they did some official visit/work during their honeymoon, right?
I'm really not trying to rag on her because I like both her and PW and am kind of obsessed with the whole royal family/anything royal in general, I guess I am just trying to express what huge disappointment I'll feel if she "disappears" for several years to be a housewife. And, I also think that if they are trying to revamp the monarchy into something more modern, this will not fly with the majority of the public.