Kate Middleton Current Events 3: October-December 2005

[ysbel]

I am just trying to make a point of Kate being somewhat insignificant to the Royal Family in my opinion.

It depends on what part of the Royal Family you're referring to. I doubt if she's insignificant to Wills but she wouldn't be the first on the list to be targeted by terrorists.

 

[branchg]

Keep in mind we don't know if Kate will receive private protection, paid for by Prince William, as their relationship deepens. There are plenty of former Royal Protection Officers who can be hired to do the job if necessary.

 

[polop]

You can't have it all, and have it all be perfect.
Iam sorry and I know that this is an old topic, but what Kate will inherit to an exchange of some lousy photos is not a very bad deal.To compare her to Princess Diana is like to compare a mountain top to a leaf. She probably is just another passing fad. If she doesn't want people all up in her buisness, then she should realize the consequences NOW. Think about it, if it's really soooo bad now, what will happen once she becomes William's wife?? I find it ridicolous (not sure about the spelling ) how she want's to or supposedly "should" file legals charges against the Paparazzi. This is another thing that annoys the hell out of me. Do these people really have THAT much time?? Iam sorry, but there are soooo many ways that they can use their fame to benefit the poor, neglected, etc. Have they seriously ever thought about what they are compalining about? Having sooo much money that you don't know what to do with, going clubbing, and OMG! there are 5 people taking pictures of me?? Geez, I really was starting to like Kate, but her "Diva" behavior makes think otherwise.

 

[branchg]

There is no evidence Kate Middleton will become William's wife. He said she is his steady girlfriend, but has no plans to get married soon.

 

[soCal girl]

I understand your point Polop. But Kate is William's girlfriend, not wife. She technically has no "official" connections with the Royal Family. She should realize that being the future King's girlfriend, there will be pictures and speculation. She should, however, be allowed a decent amount of privacy. When Kate and William are together, well then, the two will have to toughen up since he is there. However, many of these photos are of Kate and her friends/family. Kate taking action right now may seem like she's being whiny, but taking action right now could prevent a lot of bad things from happening. At least it seems Kate doesn't gloat in the attention, IMO, that would be worse.

 

[regardez]

Well ever since they mentioned the Human Rights Court there haven't been new pictures or news about her, so perhaps the threats are working with the press.

There is a certain level of publicity and intrest that is expected in the relationship. I think Kate is doing a good job of dealing with that (like being photographed at the Christmas Fair, while going shopping with her Mom, etc) but she is still a private citizen and does deserve the privacy that goes along with that. (When she is riding on the bus, going to job interviews). Right now I know it's not very evasive but I think it's the principle of it.

It doesn't come across as whiny to me, but I tend to like all the girlfriends. I'm sure they have people advising them

 

[Tzu An]

You can't have it all, and have it all be perfect.

I rather agree. Furthermore, she doesn't have to pound pavement to find a job since her parents have largely taken care of it. She's isn't smothered by the press, and the paparazzi keep a reasonably respectful distance. She hasn't had to pay for college, nor does she honestly have to do much of anything with herself. She had better realize that she better not expect it to be a cakewalk and that she can waltz into royal life and just enjoy the perks. William's mother thought the same thing and paid for it dearly. If she becomes Princess of Wales she will be subjected to grueling scrutiny and constant analyzing. She won't be able to just turn it off and on at whim.

In defense of the paparazzi, (flame me later) they do have a living to make. They are people too, however often they are demonized. By dating a major public figure, she could at the least be a little gracious. It would do her a major favor in the long run. Diana was gracious despite her private feelings and that helped her immensely. By threatening the press she's antagonizing a group of people who largely shape the public's perception of people and therefore the opinion of the general public. She could end up being demonized and deemed unacceptable to the public. She has little enough burdens and threatening the livlihood of the press is not something she should be doing. She's turning it into a bigger deal than it is.

I find her increasing (seemingly) arrogance extremely off putting. She should realize that William might drop her and what then? She always seems depressed or forlorn, as if being the girlfriend of the Prince of Wales is torture or that she's carrying the weight of the world.

Keep in mind we don't know if Kate will receive private protection, paid for by Prince William, as their relationship deepens.

If she gets protection than it better not be paid by the taxpayer. As it is the royals are branded leeches if they spend too much time (in the eyes of the press) taking vacations. If she can't hack it, then she should either be dumped or she should gently break up with William. She's not marrying some businessman, she's marrying a future head of state. Someone who is going to go on grueling trips overseas and in Britain itself, and she's going to have to go with him.

 

[soCal girl]

Paparazzi do have a living to make and they are people. But I don't understand how people can purposely derail people off the road and stick cameras into people's homes in order to get a photo. It's a bit extreme for me. I know it doesn't really pertain to Kate, but the idea of paparazzi in general. Now they seemed to have been dubbed the "stalkarazzi." The press has kept a decent distance from Kate, and they have published mostly positive things about her. This may be Kate's defense mechanism, burn others before they burn her.

 

[Incas]

If we haven't seen Kate (feel free to insert any celebrity of the moment) in the press for awhile, you see the posts asking for news and new pictures of her. In the Prince Harry's thread, pages of posts were devoted to whether he should have joined a group for lotto tickets. People got bored. In that sense, we all have contributed to the rise of "stalkarazzi". I am not saying anyone is condoning the tactics by these extremists, but they have been using public interest as justification for the intrusions.

 

[ysbel]

The Human Rights Court is getting stricter with press interference with celebrities' private lives and has ruled on cases involving royalty before.

Princess Caroline and Ernst-August won a Human Rights Court judgment against the German tabloids for printing these types of pictures of them. It was a landmark ruling and several royal houses starting taking a tougher stance against the paparazzi because of it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3838945.stm

"The court considered that the general public did not have a legitimate interest in knowing Caroline von Hannover's whereabouts or how she behaved generally in her private life."

So it seems Kate made a smart move.

If the judgment was true for Caroline, a professional public figure who does represent Monaco in an official capacity, it must be even more true for Kate who is right now just a private citizen.

Actually Kate's stance on this improves my opinion of her. It shows she knows to look out for herself and if she's going to be in the public eye, she's going to need to set some boundaries with them early on.

 

[Avalon]

I am for privacy of life. Even for celebrities. Even if I want to know everything about them.
I understand, of course, that when Kate became Prince William’s girlfriend, she must have known what awaits her but it's still distressing. I mean if a young girl can't go shopping alone... She is not a public figure either. Not now, at least.
When (and if) Prince William and Kate marry (and unlike many here, I would like that to happen because they seem to be such a nice and loving couple), then she will have real hard times but will not have much of a right to complain. That's what you get with the position of a Princess (exactly the reason I never wanted to be one). But if they love each other, I don't think it will be much of a problem.

As for Kate being a terrorist target, I seriously doubt the possibility.
I even doubt that terrorists (well, vast majority of them) even know about her existence. She may be a kidnapping target though.
But I think she is pretty safe as she is.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

The Human Rights Court is getting stricter with press interference with celebrities' private lives and has ruled on cases involving royalty before.
Princess Caroline and Ernst-August won a Human Rights Court judgment against the German tabloids for printing these types of pictures of them. It was a landmark ruling and several royal houses starting taking a tougher stance against the paparazzi because of it.

Right....... that case went on for a very long time, I believe. I also think Caroline tried to get the same ruling from the German courts, but the German jurisdiction was that "there is a legitimate public interest in Caroline and family..." (paraphrase of course). Then she tried to overrule them with the Human Rights Court case, and she won, but that ruling only applies to photographs being published outside Germany. If a German magazine wants to publish within Germany, they can do so without any worry, I think. Only if they publish the pictures outside Germany do they have to worry about Caroline suing them. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think I read that correctly at the time.
Also, Caroline had this case applying to all her children from the start, but by the time the ruling came down, it was only Alexandra who could benefit because Andrea and Charlotte were both of age by then, and Pierre was 17, nearly of age, so it was really no use for "the trio". As legal adults, "the trio" will have to have their own court cases if they want the same ruling.

 

[Lil princess lost]

Is it just me or does Kate Middleton resemble US actress Kirsten Dunst?

 

[ysbel]

Right....... that case went on for a very long time, I believe. I also think Caroline tried to get the same ruling from the German courts, but the German jurisdiction was that "there is a legitimate public interest in Caroline and family..." (paraphrase of course). Then she tried to overrule them with the Human Rights Court case, and she won, but that ruling only applies to photographs being published outside Germany. If a German magazine wants to publish within Germany, they can do so without any worry, I think. Only if they publish the pictures outside Germany do they have to worry about Caroline suing them. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think I read that correctly at the time.
Also, Caroline had this case applying to all her children from the start, but by the time the ruling came down, it was only Alexandra who could benefit because Andrea and Charlotte were both of age by then, and Pierre was 17, nearly of age, so it was really no use for "the trio". As legal adults, "the trio" will have to have their own court cases if they want the same ruling.

Hi CasaraghiTrio, I don't know the details of the ramifications of the ruling itself and it does make sense that Caroline's adult children would have to fight their own court case if they choose but its interesting that other Royal Families are taking note. King Carl Gustav of Sweden was considering action in the Human Rights Court when a paper printed a false story of his having an affair.

In some cases, the papers back off simply because they don't want to deal with the legal hassles of a court case and that may be what's happening here. I think it's very smart of Will and Kate.

If the press gets the hassle of a court case, that celebrity had better be financially worth it to them or else they're better off covering another celebrity who won't take them to the courts. They treat celebrities as commodities anyway; promoting one or the other depending on what sells papers better. On a financial level, it doesn't matter to them whether Kate Middleton or Brad Pitt is on the cover this week. It's all about who sells the most papers.

Right now, there's public interest in Kate, but not enough to justify following her family around and there's no guarantee she will marry Wills so if they break up, she won't be interesting to the press any more. But if she does marry him, she will be a prime commodity for a long time.

The threat of a court case may force them to consider whether intruding too much into Kate's private life at this point is really worth it to them.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

Is it just me or does Kate Middleton resemble US actress Kirsten Dunst?

A little bit, yes, I can see it. Kirsten is prettier than Kate, which makes me wonder now if Kate would not be prettier with lighter hair? Her skin is so fair that perhaps a lighter hair color would make her look better. I also think Kate might be prettier with short hair than her current long style. With a short cut, she might be somewhat of a Sienna Miller type. Who knows?

 

[HRHAmy]

A little bit, yes, I can see it. Kirsten is prettier than Kate, which makes me wonder now if Kate would not be prettier with lighter hair? Her skin is so fair that perhaps a lighter hair color would make her look better. I also think Kate might be prettier with short hair than her current long style. With a short cut, she might be somewhat of a Sienna Miller type. Who knows?

I think Kate would look better with long and dark hair personally, I think now that people know she has such dark hair it would be a total shock to go blonde, When I see people go totally blonde like linday lohan it looks unnatural and weird. But if she did it in stages, like going from light brown highlights then to light brown then to blonde highlights in then to full blonde that wouldn't be so much of a shock.

 

[Warren]

I'm sure Kate will take in all the advice that's been offered about what she should do with her hair, but this is the Curent Events thread, so does anyone have any news?

W

 

[polop]

In defense of the paparazzi, (flame me later) they do have a living to make. They are people too, however often they are demonized. By dating a major public figure, she could at the least be a little gracious. It would do her a major favor in the long run...

I couldn't have put it better.
I totally agree with you.She is turning this whole photograph thing waaay bigger than it actually is.In the back of my mind it actually makes me think that she likes the whole fame and attention, why else then would she complain about such minor things.I honestly think she needs to realize what she is getting herself into. I mean if she complains this much already, considering the fact she is only a girlfriend, Iam hesitant to see how she will react IF she become william wife.This is actually the biggest reason why the press doesn't hound Chelsy Davy---Harry's girlfriend, because she ignores the whole "Leave me alone" thing.I didn't hear anything about her and how she is filing charges in the HUMAN RIGHTS court.

 

[Saragli]

Imagine having to put on flawless make up and where suitable and beutiful clothes everyminute of everyday and you dont even have the money to afford to look like that. Imagine having to always be on your toes to NEVER do anything wrong. To always have a nice expression on your face and to never say anything bad that the press could pick up. You cant talk about anything personal with your friends out in public because their might be paparazzi listening ready to tell a tabloid a juicy story for more money. Imagine never being able to let loose or be yourself in public. Always having to be a statue of sorts so nothing bad can be written to embarrass her or the royal family. Imagine going through that everyday of your life. It is not easy and thier is a big problem with paparazzi.

 

[oldiebutgoodie]

Imagine having to put on flawless make up and where suitable and beutiful clothes everyminute of everyday and you dont even have the money to afford to look like that. Imagine having to always be on your toes to NEVER do anything wrong. To always have a nice expression on your face and to never say anything bad that the press could pick up. You cant talk about anything personal with your friends out in public because their might be paparazzi listening ready to tell a tabloid a juicy story for more money. Imagine never being able to let loose or be yourself in public. Always having to be a statue of sorts so nothing bad can be written to embarrass her or the royal family. Imagine going through that everyday of your life. It is not easy and thier is a big problem with paparazzi.

You know that I would agree with you, except that Kate Middleton is not poor. They are posh folks that spend time at posh events like polo long before Kate was with William etc. My guess is that Kate puts on makeup everyday since she’s had to probably since the day she was born even, because that is what she had probably been taught. My other guess is that she’s also had to wear nice clothes everyday, because her mothers seems like the type that would have bought nice clothes for Kate and not given Kate any hand me downs or things from the Salvation Army even etc.

And these people that live like this think it’s normal to be this kind of person, because they don’t know what it’s like to be poor. So, I think it’s nice that you are feeling sorry for Kate, but I think it’s all for the wrong reasons. Kate grew up living the rich girl world, and I’m sorry, but I don’t feel sorry for her one bit. If you want to feel sorry for someone, then you can feel sorry for me if you want to lol! I didn’t have any of that stuff (or if I did it was from my older siblings that were in college and could afford it with their jobs) until I got my first work-study job in college. I remember my first shirt that I bought for myself that wasn’t a hand me down etc., and I bought it at the Dollar Store, because that’s all I could afford lol. I couldn’t have even gone to college if I didn’t have a music scholarship. Kate’s parents paid for her college. I wish mine had done that! Would Kate know anything like this? No, my guess is probably not.

Oh, and the press thing that you guys were talking about, I think that William and Kate are handling it all wrong. They are making their situation worse every minute it seems, and I think that this is going to backfire on them. I can see it happening already. Not only that, but I wonder if the press is doing this to piss William off enough to where he has to say if he is with Kate or not. Mind you, we don’t know what William really said to Ali Black, because we weren’t there, and he said this “going steady” thing after the fact, and the press isn’t going to stop with Ali, because Ali is a third party. They want to hear the truth from William. So, William needs to s**t or get off the pot with Kate before it’s too late, and Kate really needs to suck it up before she annoys more people than she is already doing now.

 

[ysbel]

oldiebutgoodie,

Welcome to the Royal Forums. You might get more people to read your posts if you make the type a little larger.

Also while we noted the asterisks in a couple of places replacing foul language, you should avoid foul language altogether and not write statements like, William needs to s**t or get off the pot. We all know what you mean and it looks cutesy and not adult.

ysbel
British forums moderator

 

[oldiebutgoodie]

oldiebutgoodie,
Welcome to the Royal Forums. You might get more people to read your posts if you make the type a little larger.
Also while we noted the asterisks in a couple of places replacing foul language, you should avoid foul language altogether and not write statements like, William needs to s**t or get off the pot. We all know what you mean and it looks cutesy and not adult.
ysbel
British forums moderator

I’m sorry. And about the saying part, I just love that saying no matter how old I am or get! But I’ll refrain from using it in the future (at least on this forum, but just so you know I still feel that way about William though lol)!!!

 

[oldiebutgoodie]

Paparazzi do have a living to make and they are people. But I don't understand how people can purposely derail people off the road and stick cameras into people's homes in order to get a photo. It's a bit extreme for me. I know it doesn't really pertain to Kate, but the idea of paparazzi in general. Now they seemed to have been dubbed the "stalkarazzi." The press has kept a decent distance from Kate, and they have published mostly positive things about her. This may be Kate's defense mechanism, burn others before they burn her.

Has anyone actually seen the pictures of Kate's place that everyone is talking about? I would think if they were real, then they would have been published in more than one magazine by now, because this is actually a big story. I mean, my guess is that someone somewhere has to have a copy for us to see. And does anyone know more about this magazine or whatever it is? You would think that if it were a real magazine that actually printed real pictures, that more than one person would have a copy of the magazine by now. It makes me wonder a bit is all if this story is all rubbish like it's trying to make William look all good and everything, because so many people complained about him wanting to go to court to protect Kate etc., when the court could be used for other cases instead. Something just isn't right here, but I can't pinpoint it, you know?

 

[ysbel]

I’m sorry. And about the saying part, I just love that saying no matter how old I am or get! But I’ll refrain from using it in the future (at least on this forum, but just so you know I still feel that way about William though lol)!!!

No I like it too but I don't type all the expressions I like here on a public board.

 

[ysbel]

It makes me wonder a bit is all if this story is all rubbish like it's trying to make William look all good and everything, because so many people complained about him wanting to go to court to protect Kate etc., when the court could be used for other cases instead. Something just isn't right here, but I can't pinpoint it, you know?

Well at first I thought it was Kate who was complaining about going to Human Rights Court but now I see its William.

He's never tried to make any public impression on the press and he's had a difficult and sometimes antagonistic relationship with the media before he met Kate so I guess he's still gun-shy from his mother's experiences.

In that case, it doesn't matter what Kate thinks, William's knee-jerk reaction will always be to shield himself and the ones he loves. It may not always be the wisest decision but I think its the right decision here.

As I said before, being in a public position, they need to set boundaries with the press or the press will walk all over them. Now if he were fighting with a reporter like Harry did, I'd say he's gone too far. Far more civilized just to take the scumbags to court.

 

[oldiebutgoodie]

Well at first I thought it was Kate who was complaining about going to Human Rights Court but now I see its William.

He's never tried to make any public impression on the press and he's had a difficult and sometimes antagonistic relationship with the media before he met Kate so I guess he's still gun-shy from his mother's experiences.

In that case, it doesn't matter what Kate thinks, William's knee-jerk reaction will always be to shield himself and the ones he loves. It may not always be the wisest decision but I think its the right decision here.

As I said before, being in a public position, they need to set boundaries with the press or the press will walk all over them. Now if he were fighting with a reporter like Harry did, I'd say he's gone too far. Far more civilized just to take the scumbags to court.

Good point! But the way that I see it is that William is playing with the press, and that isn't going to help him in the long run. They had a television show out about this type of thing in fact, and they said if you show any signs of reaction towards the press, that they will keep hunting you down. They also said that if you give any kinds of reactions towards the press, then that is where they make the most money, and the press loves this. I think this is why I find it difficult to go along with William here, because he is only making matters worse by showing his reactions towards the press no matter how he goes about it. I would have thought that William out of all people would know better, and that he would have at least trained Kate right in this area.

I also think that Kate only uses the press to her advantage. One day she is smiling pretty at the cameras, and the next day she is going to her lawyers. She is playing with fire, and she's going to get burnt. And the thing is, she isn't getting it all that bad. Harry and Chelsy were being chased in a jeep by a photographer. That to me is bad. Kate can always move if she wants to. Also, what I don't get is, remember Anna Sloan? Her house was plastered everywhere on the Internet, and there was no complaint from her side. So, I don't see why Kate thinks she's so special more so than any other girl that William has been linked to. I don't know. Just something isn't right here, but I get what you were saying though!

 

[ysbel]

They also said that if you give any kinds of reactions towards the press, then that is where they make the most money, and the press loves this. I think this is why I find it difficult to go along with William here, because he is only making matters worse by showing his reactions towards the press no matter how he goes about it.

oldiebutgoodie, I didn't see the TV show you're talking about but you're right if people give the press a fight like Harry did awhile back or Prince Joachim did when the reporter asked him if he'd been drinking, they make the most of the extra newsstory.

I haven't seen enough pictures of Kate to tell if she's playing to the papparazzi or not. But given William's hostility towards the paparazzi especially after his mother died, I would be very surprised if he tolerated a girl who played games with the paparazzi.

My personal feeling about William and Kate is that they're too young to consider settling down yet and Kate may well NOT be the one but even with those reservations about this couple, I don't see Kate as seeing herself as someone special or better than any other girls William has dated. I do think she's keeping her head and looking out for herself which is a much needed trait in women and one that is often scorned.

 

[oldiebutgoodie]

oldiebutgoodie, I didn't see the TV show you're talking about but you're right if people give the press a fight like Harry did awhile back or Prince Joachim did when the reporter asked him if he'd been drinking, they make the most of the extra newsstory.

I haven't seen enough pictures of Kate to tell if she's playing to the papparazzi or not. But given William's hostility towards the paparazzi especially after his mother died, I would be very surprised if he tolerated a girl who played games with the paparazzi.

My personal feeling about William and Kate is that they're too young to consider settling down yet and Kate may well NOT be the one but even with those reservations about this couple, I don't see Kate as seeing herself as someone special or better than any other girls William has dated. I do think she's keeping her head and looking out for herself which is a much needed trait in women and one that is often scorned.

True, I guess that with me the reason why I don’t care for Kate much is that other women have had to put up with the press when dating their prince, so why not Kate? I felt bad for Anna after those pictures were published, but did William say anything to the press about this? Nope. For me I think it would be more fair to say that if William were to go out of his way to protect Kate, then he should have done this with everyone that has been linked to him, and will do so in the near future. To do this for Kate and just Kate alone is just downright unfair to the other girls that have had to go through the same stuff as she had and worse like what Anna went through. I don’t think that Kate is the one either, and I agree that they are much to young to settle down yet. I haven’t seen much maturity on either end so far, but maybe the army will help change this side of William, and maybe being separated from William will help change this side for Kate.

Oh and, another thing about William is that love is blind. If William doesn't see how Kate's reacting is bad for him and her, then I don't see how he can make a wise decision regarding Kate as doing anything wrong. I have a feeling this will hurt him more so in the end than what he thinks right now.

 

[Incas]

I think it's sweet if William is really considering going to court to protect Kate. It just shows how serious he is toward Kate. In my opinion, no matter how rich or famous a person is, he or she is still entitled to privacy. As long as Kate is not on public payroll, she shouldn't have to pose nicely for every camera pointed at her direction. And being photographed looking bored or annoyed shouldn't be a mark against her character.

 

[oldiebutgoodie]

I think it's sweet if William is really considering going to court to protect Kate. It just shows how serious he is toward Kate. In my opinion, no matter how rich or famous a person is, he or she is still entitled to privacy. As long as Kate is not on public payroll, she shouldn't have to pose nicely for every camera pointed at her direction. And being photographed looking bored or annoyed shouldn't be a mark against her character.

I can see what you are saying, but William should have protected Kate along time ago when they were doing the Jecca/Kate saga, because the press might have lightened up then, but William let that go on to where now the press thinks that they have a right to say and do what they please. I also think that if William were that sweet, then he should have known better than to go to Kate’s flat, and then be pictured leaving their the next day. William isn’t young any more. He isn’t going to be protected by anyone any more, because people will get tired of it all. William was dubbed the People’s Prince, but I don’t see him being people friendly at all.