Kate and Pippa Middleton

[hellosally]

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.

This with bells on
Women are more judgmental about the choices of other women.

Well, according to some other threads from a few weeks ago, we should all feel sorry for Kate because William is cheating on her and it is all a house of cards.

That’s what I was about to say. I remember the paparazzi and comments about her outfits and certain items of clothing from High Street chains going out of stock etc.

From what I remember, she was dating William since 18 or 19 or something and she already had a lot of press interest after she graduated. And even when they wisely decided to wait before getting married so she was ready for the pressures of the royal family she was called “Waity Katy” by the tabloids and due to lack of privacy at Jigsaw because of being hounded by the press, it made sense for her to work with her parents.

Some are.

personally I think Pippa had to walk an absolute tightrope, her sister was the D of C. She couldn't just marry a guy that set her alight. He had to be respectable enough not to embarrass W&K but not so posh she'd be accused (more) of social climbing.

I agree that women cannot win and there is an inference that women cannot enjoy wealth because it's NEVER PROPERLY THEIRS whereas men can of course sit back and enjoy their wealth.

God I'd love to be able to waft through life. Not going to lie burnt out and exhausted and if I had the option to dress up cook a few meals and live a great life without working I absolutely would! Hands head in shame now

It's Pippa/Philippa Mathews and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge for starters.

It makes me irrationally angry that people persist in calling them, Middleton. I would object heavily if anyone decided not to use my married name that "I" chose to take on but persist in using the birth name.

I think there are many women of all social demographics who choose to take time out for the period they have young children. I don't necessarily think these two are different here. Like other posters have said I think Catherine works I do not know anything about the other sister at all I am not interested so do not read much stuff about them. However, if she and her husband are happy then all is good isn't it?

I went to uni with no real idea of what I wanted to do for a job, met my now husband who has a very good job and am now a SAHM. But I didn’t go to uni with the intention of meeting a rich husband. I went to uni cause I was clever and it was expected of me to get a degree and I guess an opportunity to meet like minded people. I did work until we had DC1 and will work again when DC3 starts school. But realistically DH will probably always be the higher earner. I wouldn’t in any universe consider myself a trophy wife 😂

Oh, come on and lighten up. I will use Kate and Middleton because we’re not in the presence of bloody royalty. If I am, I’ll behave. Stop being so pathetically sycophantic.

Kate’s mother has some very ordinary ancestry going back a few generations, including a Durham coal miner. Their fortunes changed at the start of the 20th century when her grandfather, a carpenter, moved to London. Families’ fortunes can change drastically over a few generations.

Luck, ability, education, work ethic, good health. People needed all or most of those to lift their financial status, and still do. Not many lift as high as Kate

Their parents are millionaires, they went to posh schools and mix with upper class, wealthy people. They were always going to marry in to these circles rather than marry Dave who works for the council. I don't actually envy Kate Middleton at all. Her life would be hell for me. Constantly having her appearance scrutinised, having to attend endless events, looking perfect and smiling so much her face must ache! I'd much rather be me.

I know but I just can't call someone the duchess of Cambridge in all seriousness. I'm not from the UK and it just is so so so weird to my ears. If she used Kate Cambridge then sure. I wouldn't know Pippa's married name, probably would've done if she'd been married first and used it at the royal wedding but not otherwise.

@JenniferBarkley that made me chortle, the marshmallows is all I know too

Exactly. What I hate is this assumption that the two women were deliberately calculating and intending to find a rich man so they could live in luxury. I did the same as the poster here. I worked for several years, went to Uni late, met my husband. Married straight after Uni and had children. He had a high powered job so I stayed at home until the children were at school. He wasn't home much and childcare would have taken more than i could earn , leaving my kids with childminders. Why is that a better option?

I think there’s a significant degree of under estimating what the role of a working royal involves. I compare the logistical part of it to a band in their promo cycle - being woken at 5-‘ for hair and make up en route to Dudley for a meet and greet and from there onward to somewhere else with different people for a different purpose and so on via a few costume changes to bed at 1am after an official dinner. Up again the next morning at 5 to get to Swansea to talk about production lines and then Anglesey by lunch to meet some military guy, all of whom you have to appear if not knowledgeable, at least not clueless on a broad range of topics. For bands and movie stars, it’s cyclical around album or film releases with down time or different time in between when preparing/ writing / recording or filming the next one. For royals, it’s year round. That’s just the logistics, which are physically tough for anyone (and I am convinced that Sarah Harding’s cancer was in part caused by the stress and demands on her body from what was an absolutely punishing schedule).

beyond that, there is a very real amount of research, instruction and learning into the various organisations they’re patrons of, foreign politics / who is who etc etc so that they are able to remain bland and neutral on all topics at all time and not stick their size 6’s into their mouth with personal opinions. That in itself is a skill. There is a vast amount of correspondence and relationship maintenance and keeping knowledge up to date. Yes they’re briefed and have secretaries but they are working- do you suppose that being a senior diplomat is not working? That’s effectively what they are - with a constant great posting.

Women (and men) who have no intention of working or doing a legitimate job. Far more likely in sink estates where the local main employer was closed years ago I'd suggest.

That does sound very fascinating. But what about Kate’s Dad?

Plenty of men couldn't care less about a woman's work ethic or career history provided she's attractive and meets his needs. I'd imagine that the richer and higher status the man the less he would care. If you're the future king, you're not going to need to fall back on your wife's salary, are you?
In these circles realistically a lot of people men and women don't need to work and are just filling their time. To be quite honest, unless they have something important and rare to offer, I'd prefer they didn't, and left the opportunities open to others who may need the job.
There's plenty of unpaid charity work rich people can do to contribute and fulfil themselves.

I am surrounded by women who have never had much of a career and look after DC/home full-time whilst their DH makes the money.
Its not at all unusual!

What is unusual (to ordinary folk) is the amount of money they have. They live in a different world to the majority of people - rich families, high paying jobs, inheritance, trust funds, private education, social networking.

Passing a degree with distinction is really not impressive, particularly so when you were educated privately.

Lots of women like this exist, these two just happen to be in the public eye.

It does seem a bit of a coincidence but they seem to have come from a very well off background. Pippa could hardly marry Tam from a council estate and just casually be the future queen’s sister, I think it was likely with the types of circles she’d be in that whoever she’d meet would be well off

Kate and Pippa weren't posh middle class going to private school.

They are from a very small group of upper middle class/upper class trust funders who went to a very small group of elite public schools.

In that world, what they have done is perfectly normal. They aren't so interested in whether the uni is Russell Group as to it's social cachet - Kate did Art History at St Andrews which is about peak posh. I had a look at their dissertations once and quite a few were basically 'I studied a room in our stately home' 😮

Classic combo would be man is wealthy investment banker/hedge fund manager, wife is sporty, has kids and hobby business. Which is exactly what Pippa has done.

What is unusual (to ordinary folk) is the amount of money they have.

They - meaning wealthy people.

@5128gap That’s a good point actually.

My husband would be happy if I didn't work but he's equally happy for me to work, have career and supports me and my choices.

Not really sure what's the purpose of your post OP other than slag Middleton sisters off.