Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Kate and Pippa Middleton

493 replies

hellosally · 10/07/2022 07:42

I'm reading about Pippa's new £15 million home and another pregnancy. I am sure both sisters are lovely people but looking at their lives, it seems like neither ever had any intention of working and used school and university to get themselves mixing in affluent circles to bag a wealthy man to fund their lifestyles.
Do people like this still really exist? I know we all have choices but at times in my life when I have mixed in more affluent circles in university and London, men would spot gold diggers and women who would need to be financially supported a mile off and would not contemplate taking them seriously. I dont know any women who havent have some kind of career or any men that want someone who hasnt worked.
is there anyone bringing up their daughters(or sons) like this in this day and age? would you bankroll them if it all went wrong? just curious.

OP posts:
ReneBumsWombats · 11/07/2022 19:29

SheepingStandingUp · 11/07/2022 19:13

You'd get them a good education to set them up for life or you'd force your eldest to trick s and marry a specific man so you could be rich and famous regardless of her feelings?

Show quote history

How has William been tricked?

threatmatrix · 11/07/2022 19:32

Oh dear.

MsBombastic555 · 11/07/2022 19:36

🤣🤣🤣

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

The royal family
Insertcreativenamehere · 11/07/2022 19:43

I think Catherine and William are truly suited and most definitely in love. It’s not in anyway a marriage of convenience/trophy wife/ gold digger woman - just a really great match.

Thefsm · 11/07/2022 19:44

Yabu. I married my high school sweetheart who I stuck by through many long college and PhD years. I haven’t worked in 20 years, we survive on his income. I would probably work if it was legal in my visa, but we are fine as we are and I get time for my writing and hobbies now the kids are older. Not every woman who doesn’t have a career is a gold digger.

IcedPurple · 11/07/2022 19:44

You'd get them a good education to set them up for life or you'd force your eldest to trick s and marry a specific man so you could be rich and famous regardless of her feelings?

"Force" her?

This isn't the 1500s and the Middletons aren't the Boleyns.

Can you elaborate on how exactly Carole 'forced' her adult daughter to marry William? And more to the point, how a future king was 'tricked' into marrying a woman he didn't love? With whom he has since had 3 children?

I look forward to hearing all the salacious details.

MaulPerton · 11/07/2022 19:56

SheepingStandingUp · 11/07/2022 19:13

You'd get them a good education to set them up for life or you'd force your eldest to trick s and marry a specific man so you could be rich and famous regardless of her feelings?

Show quote history

This is what I would say: "Daughter, get the best education that you possibly can because it's good for you but be aware that there aren't enough hours in the day to become a really big earner. It takes more than that. Meanwhile, you will work your fingers to the bone trying, working 15-hour days for years and years. Eventually, you will burn out. Try your luck with the wealthy crowd. Clearly, it has to be somebody you find attractive and enjoy spending time with. You won't be doing anything different to what you would do in any other marriage but your life will be much, much easier - hopefully".

<Goes off to write a version about what to say to a son>

SheepingStandingUp · 11/07/2022 20:02

IcedPurple · 11/07/2022 19:44

You'd get them a good education to set them up for life or you'd force your eldest to trick s and marry a specific man so you could be rich and famous regardless of her feelings?

"Force" her?

This isn't the 1500s and the Middletons aren't the Boleyns.

Can you elaborate on how exactly Carole 'forced' her adult daughter to marry William? And more to the point, how a future king was 'tricked' into marrying a woman he didn't love? With whom he has since had 3 children?

I look forward to hearing all the salacious details.

I don't think for a minute Cm gave Kate marrying Wills mroe than a passing chuckled thought, like thousands of other Mom's of daughters our age. We used to joke about my one friend marrying him, how we could meet him, what our bridesmaid dresses looked like. But to read the posts on here about how they set Kate up to marry wills, how it's her whole life's aim with her parents (read, mothers) encouragement, that's what the accusations boil down to.

Maybe Kate did swap Uni deliberately, so did lots of girls. Maybe she took her jumper off to woo him. Sure most of have did something equally "crazy" at that age. But the idea that this is all some plot with Wills a hapless victim is ridiculous

SheepingStandingUp · 11/07/2022 20:04

@MaulPerton surely the same but prefixed with Son and some mention of doing equal housework

YDBear · 11/07/2022 20:09

They were nicknamed the Wisteria Sisters in the posh social circle they sought entry to because they were such tenacious social climbers.

Ravenclawdropout · 11/07/2022 20:18

The whole "Wisteria Sisters" trope sounds like it was made up by a journo. These kind of descriptions are very hard to prove or disprove.

They were already loaded in school, their dad has a major trustful and their mum is massively successful. The idea that they stood out as "nouveau riche" makes my eyes roll.

Ravenclawdropout · 11/07/2022 20:19
  • typo dad has a TRUSTFUND.
Willowsodyssey · 11/07/2022 20:25

That’s a mighty big inference that the Middletons brought their daughters up to be gold diggers. Why don’t you use your time more constructively and improve yourself before speculating about other people. You are presenting a very unpleasant aspect of your personality that needs working on.

Imissmoominmama · 11/07/2022 20:27

I’ve seen photos of Pippa walking her two Labradors, and pushing a buggy. Pretty much what I did when I was first married (and got the next five years), except mine were mongrelly rescue dogs, and the babies (we had two) were fostered.

I bet I was just as happy as her. It’s not all about the cash (but it helps 😁).

jaynecooper · 11/07/2022 20:40

No personal responsibility? Are you serious?😲

Diamondsareforever123 · 11/07/2022 20:41

Seriously get a grip people! What these two have done is nothing new. It's called social climbing. Kate worked hard to hit the jackpot and little sister has followed with assistance from big sister being a top royal. They'd have married into money anyway.

MaulPerton · 11/07/2022 20:47

SheepingStandingUp · 11/07/2022 20:04

@MaulPerton surely the same but prefixed with Son and some mention of doing equal housework

Yes I was thinking that it would, in fact, remain the same, except that there isn't such a large crowd of wealthy women for men to tap into and not at all sure about the equal housework bit <snort> . The stressful craziness of work hours and career building following years of formal education are just as gruelling, of course. It's all hard. I demand an easy life.

HesterShaw1 · 11/07/2022 20:55

YDBear · 11/07/2022 20:09

They were nicknamed the Wisteria Sisters in the posh social circle they sought entry to because they were such tenacious social climbers.

Such a disgusting snobby attitude and phrase, really smacking of "know your place".

HesterShaw1 · 11/07/2022 20:58

TheWheeledAvenger · 11/07/2022 17:37

LOL, the Middletons were never "extremely wealthy." They managed to scrape together enough funds (using help from relatives) to pay private school fees. That doesn't make you extremely wealthy. They were a normal middle class family with a middle class income.

And that if anyone was ever in a position to pick and choose, it would be the young and handsome future King?
Few if any women from upper class backgrounds had any interest in Royal life which involves sacrificing ever having a shred of privacy, having to perform royal duties, have little to no choice over major or minor decisions in your own life, not even being able to choose your own kids' names, being stalked and abused by the press, not be able to have a job or career of your own choosing, and know that your children will never have any privacy or freedom to choose their own career either. That's why both William and Harry had to marry women who weren't part of upper class society.

Oh give over. They're loaded!

ReneBumsWombats · 11/07/2022 21:00

YDBear · 11/07/2022 20:09

They were nicknamed the Wisteria Sisters in the posh social circle they sought entry to because they were such tenacious social climbers.

Yes, of course they were. Jolly poor show, what what.

jaynecooper · 11/07/2022 21:02

DogsAndGin · 10/07/2022 08:50

Women can’t win. If you don’t work outside the home, you’re a gold digger. If you do work outside the home, you’re not looking after your family properly.

OP:
I’ve got a daughter on the way. So to answer your question, I will absolutely be teaching her to choose a partner very carefully - including considering their ability to contribute financially to the stability of the household. And I won’t be shaming her if she so happens to choose a lifestyle where she works less than her partner in order to care for the family.

The burden on women is too high, and loss of earnings and career progression hits women a lot harder than it hits men when babies come along. In most cases, women need financial support from their partners when they have babies, in order to survive, as mat pay wouldn’t even cover the average woman’s living expenses.

Plus, contrary to the far-flung problem you have described, which as you say, you’ve never actually seen in your real life, I have seen many couples where the woman works longer hours, earns more than the man, does 100% of the housework, AND has to cope with a feckless idiot of a husband who spends all of HER hard earned money on tat! Yet, you’ve not criticised these cock-lodging men.

I feel very sorry for us women, we do so much nowadays, working many more hours than men - when you add together the hours spent inside and outside the home. But the second we go through the massive life-changing event of birth and child-rearing, we have to defend ourselves against being called a gold-digger.

It’s especially sad that this misogyny is woman on woman, too.

Show quote history

This. Well said dogsandgin.

Spencerfig · 11/07/2022 21:04

SheepingStandingUp · 11/07/2022 19:07

Well Kate needed to to meet Wills. Her parents weren't whoring her out to just any rich man. Because that's what the accusations amount to. Cm trained her to daughter, avoiding to some, to prostitute herself on the altar of royalty And wealth. It doesn't matter if he's nice or not, you do whatever it takes and you may him so the best of us are financially and societally set for life.

No matter that its massively impinged in all of their lives, and future children, that they already actually good parents but can't be if they whored out the eldest.

Show quote history

@SheepingStandingUp how exactly did Carol train Kate to snare Wills?😕 what did she do?!!!!!

TreePoser · 11/07/2022 21:11

You can't MAKE anybody feel that way about you so it's such a ridiculous accusation.

Spencerfig · 11/07/2022 21:14

YDBear · 11/07/2022 20:09

They were nicknamed the Wisteria Sisters in the posh social circle they sought entry to because they were such tenacious social climbers.

I love the way noone on mumsnet actually knows the Middletons but can say they were nicknamed wisteria sisters... They were obviously very much part of that circle... Kate's ex was Rupert Finch, Pippa's Nico Jackson both very very successful upper class men... Kate married the future king... They were absolutely part of the "Glosse Posse" a name the media also used.... I think Kate's new group are known as the "Turnip Toffs" 🤷‍♀️

Kerensa70 · 11/07/2022 21:18

Having some brief association to the family (not me an a cousin) they are a lovely, kind family and I get the impression this is just how it worked out for them, there was no masterplan by the family. By all accounts they are really good people and that counts for a lot, it’s a very attractive quality. Always been impressed by the brother too speaking so publicly about his mental health struggles.