Engagement of Prince William to Catherine Middleton: November 16, 2010

[Iluvbertie]

Diana was unprecedented and I don't think anyone should want that kind of popularity. Quite unhealthy, if you ask me.

I agree that was completely unhealthy but unfortunately for Kate she will always be compared to Diana and thus she will need to prove herself early or else she could harm the monarchy, as Diana did, but for the opposite reasons - she won't be popular enough.

I do agree with your last part and I don't think she will simply sit at home.

I hope she doesn't but we will wait and see.

 

[MARG]

Well, when you put it like that I guess I agree, but with all the harsh and negative comments that some posters have been putting on this forum..I found it odd mine is the one you can't simply understand.

Unfortunately that is an easy one. The ultimate Yes or No question. Should the cameras be allowed to invade their personal life? No! However, the rest is bickering about what Kate should do after the wedding and, unfortunately, the hardliners think she should basically dump the housewife (and husband) bit and chopper up to town to do 4 or 5 Engagements a week!

IMO she should get nothing less than that granted to our Queen. Namely time to settle down and just be a wife. QEII got to be "just" an Officer's wife on Malta for two years. Unfortunately her Father's health was failing and she was The Heir. Disaster notwithstanding, William is not and so he and Kate should have that opportunity to settle down and raise a family.

I am not saying that she will be Lazy Kate but rather like any other young wife who is lucky enough not to need to work nor an up and coming career woman. Somehow I think she will find things to do and places to go and some even be "Royal" as well. They may also just be ordinary.

 

[Lady Ann]

It was your comment about enjoying the photos of them at the shops and putting out the garbage that I couldn't understand.

Posts about people disliking one or both of them or being negative about the future aren't the same.

All I ment was that she was a normal person...not that I enjoyed her being stalked by the news papers.. peoples post are open to many ways of reading them..take them as you will.. or as you edit them leaving out the first and last line and taking what you want from the middle of my post.

 

[jemagre]

I agree and the consequence could very well be a growing anti-Kate, lazy Kate media blitz.

She isn't the most popular royal fiancee and she will need to win over the British public. However, unless she has children, she will be expected to be seen doing something on a regular basis. William has a pass as he is a serving officer but she won't get a pass for long.

OMG. We agree again.

I think Kate also has to prove that she even has a work ethic. There is still questions from some people about her ability to do the job that is expected of her.

As for the children aspect...I think even then she is still expected to work. After all the critics will simply make the point that full-time working mothers do exist. To say nothing of the fact that those mothers struggle to afford daycare while the royals have full-time nannies.

I do think that is the unfortunate thing about her. We can comment on her hair and her clothes but we have seen very little of what she plans on doing. What do you guys think about her future engagements? For example: do you think she will be more of a solo person or do you think she will stick by William?

 

[Zonk]

Please note that all posts relating to Catherine's work history before and after the wedding have been moved here http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f34/duties-and-roles-for-catherine-after-the-wedding-29262-5.html .

Zonk
British Forums Moderator

 

[Iluvbertie]

All I ment was that she was a normal person...not that I enjoyed her being stalked by the news papers.. peoples post are open to many ways of reading them..take them as you will.. or as you edit them leaving out the first and last line and taking what you want from the middle of my post.

The first and last sentences - about her being normal - weren't sentences which I found offensive. I saw no need to include them in a comment about enjoying seeing photos of them doing the shopping and putting out the garbage.

Saying that you enjoy seeing photos of them doing private things is - it is the very thing that encourages the paparazzi (some of whom may read boards like this and read posts like yours and say - people want to see this so we will take the photos as there is a market for them).

You have already responded to my comment saying that you understand where I am coming from and that is fine.

The fact is of course that they are not normal and wanting to be normal is really silly for people who for no reason other than birth or marriage get all the privileges in the world - no merit in it - just and accident of birth. If they want to be 'normal' then they should leave the whole royal lifestyle and be normal and see how they cope then - no protection officers (that's not normal), no one to arrange their diaries for them. It seems like they want their cake and to eat it too.

 

[Iluvbertie]

...QEII got to be "just" an Officer's wife on Malta for two years...

The Queen actually didn't live in Malta but visited whenever Philip had shore leave. They would stay at Lord Mountbatten's house on the island during that time. When Philip was at sea she would be in London doing royal duties, and being a young mother as Charles and Anne were left in London when she went to Malta.

People: Queen and Prince Philip prepare for ‘second honeymoon’ in Malta | News | The First Post

Elizabeth II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia says At various times between 1949 and 1951, the Duke of Edinburgh was stationed in Malta (at that time a British Protectorate) as a serving Royal Navy officer. He and Elizabeth lived intermittently, for several months at a time, in the Maltese hamlet of Gwardamanġia, at the Villa Gwardamanġia, the rented home of Philip's uncle, Lord Mountbatten. The children remained in Britain.[48]

Not quite the same thing as living there as a wife and mother but rather an occasional visitor leaving the children at home with the grandparents.

 

[Tyger]

The fact is of course that they are not normal and wanting to be normal is really silly for people who for no reason other than birth or marriage get all the privileges in the world - no merit in it - just and accident of birth. If they want to be 'normal' then they should leave the whole royal lifestyle and be normal and see how they cope then - no protection officers (that's not normal), no one to arrange their diaries for them. It seems like they want their cake and to eat it too.

But that's how William's mother raised him. Her goal was to give her children 'normal' life experiences, make them 'normal' - even after her passing the experiences of William reflected this model, as with his Gap Year activities. It makes sense that William would choose a commoner, a girl from a 'normal' family. It makes sense that he would vision a 'normal' life.

William and Catherine would have to have talked about this a lot between each other and with William's father. I think it would be great for them to be left alone as they proceed with their life as they choose - live abroad even. It would be valuable for William to have a larger experience of the world - that would prepare him for Kingship in the 21st Century! It would be good for the press to limit themselves to the Queen and the Prince of Wales, too IMO. I wonder if that will ever be possible? Or at least really tight constraints - like the Danish monarchy has, I think.

My fear is that we will be obliged to watch the destruction of someone - and I don't want to see that, even in the periphery of my vision.

 

[Princess of Durham]

...IMO she should get nothing less than that granted to our Queen. Namely time to settle down and just be a wife.

Thank you for this, as you can see by my post count I am new to this forum and I had never been aware that QEII had actually had that time "alone" with her husband. According to some, she should have been back in London doing the rounds but rather was in Malta. That was, IMO, a very fortunate and happy experience for her especially given that the King was in such poor health, and also a rather surprising one. It seems some are not willing to extend the same to the wife of the heir of the heir. I have to be curious as to whether the locals were so very unhappy with the young Princess and heir at that time. I'm thinking probably not, I guess it is just a sign of the time.

 

[Iluvbertie]

She didn't actually spend all that much time in Malta - a couple of months each year but she left the children at home - so not a normal family life but rather just extended honeymoon time. Most of those years she was in England doing royal duties. It seems romantic for her but it wasn't her permanent home for those years but rather her holidays were there with her working husband.

 

[Mirabel]

...Namely time to settle down and just be a wife.

But things were different back when the Queen was first married- the monarchy had some control over the press and could rein them in if necessary.
Now it's another matter; it is no longer possible for anyone to control the press. Plus now there is the Internet, to disburse pictures and articles all over the world in seconds.
I predict we'll see all sorts of photos in the next years, far more intrusive that merely taking out the garbage, etc.

 

[Florencia]

Prince William & Kate Middleton Planning To Live Without Servants: Report

 

[Sister Morphine]

I see nothing wrong with that -- they're both able-bodied, capable adults, I think they can do their own laundry and cook their own food. Right now they aren't taking on any major royal duties AND William is still finishing up his stint with the RAF, so what would be the point of having a house full of domestic help?

 

[Tyger]

I see nothing wrong with that -- they're both able-bodied, capable adults, I think they can do their own laundry and cook their own food. Right now they aren't taking on any major royal duties AND William is still finishing up his stint with the RAF, so what would be the point of having a house full of domestic help?

Agree, and the added bonus is that they will have true privacy. There will be no domestic staff taking notes for their 'tell-all' book to be published in 5 years.

What will be interesting is to see how they will segue into more formal duties and living. Maybe they won't for a while, but they certainly have role models with the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex, in how to live 'normally', under the radar of the media.

 

[Lenora]

I don't think they won't have any servants all,they used to it.It's better to say that they want servants to come some times in a week,to do some things about the house,but not to live near them in order not to interfere anybody in their private life.
I think William remembers very well how some servants(like Paul Burrell) sold all the secrets and privacy around royal family and his mother.

 

[Iluvbertie]

The Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex have never been the future monarch and thus going under the radar wasn't hard. William and Kate will never be able to live normally due to their position. If they think they can they are really fully themselves. Normal people don't have an army of protection officers living with them - and they do live with them.

They may not have staff to do the washing and cleaning and cooking but they will hardly be living alone (and the protection officers also have to be fed and have their quarters clearned and my understanding is that that is part of the package -that that is provided for them so that they can do their job - protecting the royal - so who will do their washing, cleaning and cooking??)

 

[Tyger]

Hmmm, good points. Maybe they will just continue the way they already have it arranged - ya think?

But then it occurred to me that maybe this reference to 'servants' has to do with butlers and valets and personal maids - might that be it? They may not mean they won't have a cook or a housekeeper coming in to clean every day or week, just that they won't have personal servants. Also wondering, might William and Catherine basically be using Charles' houses, like Clarence House and Highgrove, instead of having their own outside of Wales?

But then, what about their engagements calendar and all the logistics? Maybe Charles' secretaries and staff will be the ones overseeing William's and Catherine's formal role duties? In fact, does that make more sense? William will then not need his own staff and stuff until his father ascends the throne.

Nice conversation I just had with myself.

 

[Mia_mae]

some people here need a hug! jezz....

anyways, I don't know if a believe in this. But after Burrell, I can't blame William.
btw, Doesn't William and Harry have their own Clarence House' staff? correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Iluvbertie]

William already has his own staff looking after his engagements. He shares that staff with Harry and they will now look after Kate as well.

I don't think that they will live permanently in Clarence House or Highgrove until Charles is King. Whatever is their London residence will be theirs until William becomes King but I suspect that William will move into Highgrove when Charles becomes King (making that home the country residence of the Duke of Cornwall).

 

[jemagre]

But things were different back when the Queen was first married- the monarchy had some control over the press and could rein them in if necessary.

Very good point you made. The public also had a very different attitude towards the monarchy when the Queen was young. As the times changed and marriages broke-up, the public began to place different expectations on the family. So I too think that while the Queen was allowed to live that life I don't think it would be possible today.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Very good point you made. The public also had a very different attitude towards the monarchy when the Queen was young. As the times changed and marriages broke-up, the public began to place different expectations on the family. So I too think that while the Queen was allowed to live that life I don't think it would be possible today.

I don't know if it was so much the marriages breaking up but rather that they let the people into the marriages and so the public felt that had a right to know everything about their lives. It started with the 1969 documentary but really took off with the interviews and documentaries in the early 80s that Diana and Charles did.

 

[CrownPrincess5]

Pathetic yes, disgusting no, IMO. What else are they supposed to compare, breast size?
The issue has sparked debate on this forum, and it was mentioned even before the article was published.

Sorry when I say disgusting I mean pathetic. We say that sometimes over here. I should be more direct with my words.

You know what, I wouldn't be surprised if they compare breasts soon...they've already stooped low enough IMO.

 

[CrownPrincess5]

Prince William & Kate Middleton Planning To Live Without Servants: Report

No no no I don't agree with that...Generally speaking, I think as royals they should have round the clock servants. I mean come on I don't want to see them washing the windows, mowing the lawn, taking out the trash too much. Part of being a royal is being mysterious and part of being a royal is being able to be on the peoples level but if they do too much "menial labor" they'll become like the rest of us! What's the point in being a royal if they can't have a snack made at 3am or the trash taken out. I wouldn't want to hear that William ironed his own clothes for a royal event. On the other hand I think they should do a bit of work like keeping their area tidy but I think that's as far as they should go considering that they'll have no time to do anything like that soon IMO.

 

[4Pam]

I think by choosing to live without some help for awhile will do Kate and William a lot of good from a PR point of view. The BRF is playing the game of "catch-up" with the modern world and William & Kate are major players of the game as they are the future King and Queen.

And even if they are without servants for awhile I highly doubt that Kate will be washing windows, mowing the lawns, taking out the trash or ironing their clothes before a royal event. It's a temporary setting anyway until William is done with his training. And I'm sure living without any help always hovering around constantly will be a time that they will cherish. Once William is done with his training it's off to London with their own staff and servants that will be with 24/7.

 

[Osipi]

Prince William & Kate Middleton Planning To Live Without Servants: Report

This really doesn't surprise me one bit. These two seem to be the antithesis of what the jet-set celebrity crowd is like with limos and bling and all the other trappings of the ultra rich. Look where they got engaged. Although I'm sure they were well looked after, the place was actually quite minimalistic and rustic. I can well imagine them at the end of the day when William returns from his SAR shift, sitting down to meal Kate has cooked and then the both of them happily washing the dishes together. I don't seem them doing the maintenance on the house or heavy duty things but there isn't really any need for any live in servants. I'm sure there'll be times they have to return to London or elsewhere for various events and duties and will be treated more royally at CH or wherever they stay.

 

[Iluvbertie]

If they want to live like the rest of us - great. They can do that permanently - by simply asking Parliament to remove William from the line of succession, giving his inheritance from Diana to charity and living on his pay from the Air Force but...if they are supposed to be royal then they also have a certain way of living expected of them and they simply don't want to embrace that side of their lives.

This seems to be a case of having their cake and eating it at the same time - being royal but not living as royals or embracing their royal heritage.


Royals are celebrities so they are expected to live the celebrity lifestyle and if they don't want to live that way then walk away from it. Royals ceased to be anything but celebrities when they started telling the press about their lives and they can't go back to the way it was before they were just celebrities but celebrities with no merit and only birth to recommend them.

I know most people here think it is a good idea for William and Kate to try to live a normal life - but they are not normal.

Cooking a meal for the man doesn't make one normal - Prince Philip cooks the BBQ at Balmoral, Diana and Charles used to cook meals.

Being normal means living without protection to help if something goes wrong, having neighbours a couple of metres from the front door, having door-to-door salesmen knock on the door etc. They want to pretend at being normal but they haven't the foggiest idea what that means.

This is more evidence, to me, that William simply doesn't want to be royal.

 

[angieuk]

I thought it would be so exciting him getting engaged at last. But when it happened I was totally surprised by my reaction.

I watched the news, saw a few programmes and then taped over the tapes for something else. I never got the next day's newspapers and gave Hello to my neighbour after I read it. I thought I would be over the moon. But after a few days I could not have cared less.

I have no idea why this is? I don't know them personally, I liked Kate sometimes disliked her. But yes it's his choice. But for some reason the years of waiting have taken there toll. Both heading for their 30's, kids in the next 2 years or so, what is there to get excited about.

I would have preferred a 20's something couple, getting married, going on world tours wearing fabulous clothes and jewellery with an HRH behind their name. But no, instead we have a boring couple who will no doubt retire to Wales and appear every so often, it is impossible to glamorise this couple. Yes I am sure I will watch the wedding to see the dress but after a few hours I expect I shall head off to the park. And no I will not bother to buy the next days newspapers. I do read the posts sometimes, but find I have little to say on this matter any more. It comes as something when you prefer the Waxwork dummy at Madam Tussauds to the real thing. But as they say ... the past is another country and we are all strangers there!

By the way this is fantastic on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9dPxQyqaW8 The Aristocrats Series.

 

[Skippy]

This comes across to me as if you want the glitz of the Charles and Diana days back.
It is all much more low-key now, perhaps you miss a feeling of grandeur?
Just my opinion/thoughts of course.

 

[texankitcat]

If they want to live like the rest of us - great. They can do that permanently - by simply asking Parliament to remove William from the line of succession...

I took the article to mean that they prefer not to have "live in" servants because they cherish their privacy. That doesn't mean that they will not have help that lives elsewhere but comes in daily to do cleaning, laundry and run errands, etc.. I see nothing wrong with this choice since they are living in a farm house and not a huge estate or palace. The fact that William and Kate enjoy looking after themselves to a certain extent is admirable and economical. They are required to have protection officers, and it's necessary considering who they are. That doesn't mean that they are also required to have round the clock staff.

What I don't understand is that those who dislike the monarchy and complain about the costs would have a problem with William and Kate making this choice? The same people would be outraged if William and Kate demanded an entire staff to look after their every need. The fact that William isn't spoiled, self-centered and an ego maniac that demands round the clock attention from paid staff is admirable and the kind of modern monarchy that the people should want and respect.

 

[Princess of Durham]

What I don't understand is that those who dislike the monarchy and complain about the costs would have a problem with William and Kate making this choice? The same people would be outraged if William and Kate demanded an entire staff to look after their every need. The fact that William isn't spoiled, self-centered and an ego maniac that demands round the clock attention from paid staff is admirable and the kind of modern monarchy that the people should want and respect.

I agree, though William has been accused of "wanting it all" or his way, it seems to me that is very much the case among any number of people. If the couple were to go the route of all the trappings I am sure they would be accused of outrageous spending and frivolous life style during his time in the RAF. That rather sounds like a no win situation for the couple. Having no servants, IMO, means no live in servants.