To think the Duchess of Cambridge has no place in sports personality of the year

[Nishky]

Martina Navratilova made a moving speech about female role models so who do they roll out to present it?

Poor bloody woman. She'll never be able to do anything right for the rest of her life.

All these people saying "all she did was get married" - yes, that's absolutely right, all she's done is get married to someone she loved. Most people are able to do that and get on with their lives without being constantly slagged off about it every time they show their face in public.

I can't imagine she was jumping up and down saying "Ooh I wanna present the SPOTY. PLEEEEEASE!" I would imagine she's feeling crap and pulled herself together because she, and those advising her, felt that this was an important enough event and that she should really try not to pull out.

I would strongly imagine that the thinking behind her presenting it, not Princess Anne who has presented many things over the years, and has been the "go-to" Royal for sports-related things for a long time now, is a generational thing. The older generation (Seb Coe, Princess Anne etc) are no doubt going to be taking something of a back seat now that the Olympics are over. There was a big thing at the Olympics about the next generation of young sportsmen and sportswomen - they had the symbolic thing with the young people carrying the flame - and William and Kate are the next generation of royals who will attend these sort of events in the future. They took a big interest in the Olympics and will no doubt be asked to be patrons of sports related organisations over the years.

There's a lot of spite about a woman who hasn't actually done anything wrong, and may well do a lot of good in the future. I'm just trying to imagine someone coming on MN and saying they had HG but needed to attend an important event, and then having someone saying "bet you weren't ill in the first place."

And quite frankly, speculation about her illness is a bit much, given the tragedy that has already happened, apparently because of people not being able to leave her alone, even when she was in hospital.

She's pretty, she's very thin, shes a woman, she's a royal so frankly she will always attract criticism regardless of what sort of person she is, how hard she works or what she does.

I'm not a royalist but do think individuals shouldn't shoulder all the blame for a monarchy

"So is the criteria, if they 'enjoy' something, they should be ambassadors, regardless of their qualifications. You are bring tongue in cheek, right"

Not being tongue in cheek. They are Royal, they work for us - and if they're going to work for us, promote British Sport, promote the best Olympics ever, promote British tourism in a time of economic downturn, then I want them to look engaged and cheerful.

I thought the Queen was a bloody good sport in the Opening Ceremony and that the younger Royals turning out to cheer on Zara (and other sports) in a really engaged way was lovely to watch.

They were excellent ambassadors for their country and they've done a lot right in the last couple of years.

I've been a Republican all my life but if we're going to have a benign monarchy then they're pretty much the best we can get imo.

Er, I do think she wanted to hang-out with the sports celebs.

I think it is in really poor taste to celebrate sports, the ultimate democracy, based on achievements, by thrusting a 'royal' who has achieved fuck-all into the limelight.

Agree with every word Kungfu.

The whole evening was about achievement and working your guts out, so I'm sure that's what children watching will take away from it.

Kate only presented the award, she didn't even make a speech. She didn't win the award ffs, she only handed it over.

God, miserable fuck city.

Great night, amazing reminder of the glorious summer but the 'oh thank god, something to be fucking snippy about' crowd still find something....

And I'll just add, before going that the programme was about 3 hours long. It was an amazing night, Kate was on the stage for less than 5 mins, presented two awards and left. It's not as if she dominated the night. So for people to start picking on her is rather out of proportion.

What about starting a thread about some of the sport

I was thinking Princess Anne was a more likely candidate to present considering her past sporting achievements, being a member of Team GB back in the 70s etc.

Kate looked good, too much make up, but didn't really add anything to the event- I guess she is the most popular, royal 'of the moment' and will be invited to do these things. Meh

Excuse mistakes on I phone with a mind of its own.

I've been a Republican all my life. Yes, right

Dislike all these royal sycophants coming on and pretending they are not supporting the monarchy. I guess they know how ridiculous they sound, but cannot help themselves.

The Olympics has done just fine around the world. The Olympics doesn't need royal support, but democracy and hard work and talent. Just the antithesis of 'royalness'

It's a tv show. If she shouldn't have been there then neither should the gorgeous Idris and Kenneth Brannaghs reading should have been done by presumably Tom Daly.

Does anyone know when Ian Thorpe is going to hit the ceiling with his increasing campness?

Now you're trying to tell me what my politics are??

Stop being weird.

It's perfectly possible to be a political Republican and not be arsed with being a 'haterszz' of some sick, pregnant woman who had the gaul to marry the man she wanted to.

You've your knickers in a right twist and you're coming across as someone who hates the woman for the sake of it, in a really nasty way.

Quite right Pag, no is havi g a go at the very lovely Idris( they'd have to be mad)

It's very puzzling about Ian. He's not gay apparently, or so he says.

"Er, I do think she wanted to hang-out with the sports celebs."

If she's suffering from bad morning sickness I doubt she wanted to hang out with anyone.

Besides, it's not like she's not already done plenty of "hanging out" with sports celebs. She was pictured sitting with a friend of mine at the Olympics - that friend was a nominee last night. It is highly unlikely that Kate is particularly star-struck when she spent the whole Olympics going to high-profile events and no doubt spending time with the athletes in question.

I know a few people who were there last night. Sporting celebrity is a whole different kettle of fish to the kind of celebrities that are plastered all over the media every day - musicians, TV stars, film stars etc. Sports "stars" are still in training - they are still active in their sports and rubbing shoulders with club level athletes and other "ordinary" sportsmen and women. You will see Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins mooching around at regattas where novice student crews are also competing; Mark Cavendish still competes regularly at club events on the Isle of Man and encourages the junior racing there; no doubt the track athletes still train at the same facilities as many aspiring young athletes. There isn't generally that type of separation that you get with traditional types of celebrity.

I don't believe for one minute that an unwell pregnant woman was just desperate to rub shoulders with the "stars".

Laurie, lol. Your politics are very clear from your posts. To pretend otherwise is just silly.

No one invited 'Kate' to present the awards as just her, she was representing the monarchy. And the question is why is a system based on birth (royalty) in any way relevant to a system based on achievement (sport)

I agree. Yanbu

Anyone else think Wiggins's wife looked like Monica Lewinsky?

There's a lot of spite about a woman who hasn't actually done anything wrong, and may well do a lot of good in the future

We don't know that. And what has she done to date? Has she ever had a job?

Even her Maj has done some work and she knew she would be queen. Sorry it's a daily fail - but good pics

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2149307/Ever-seen-The-Queen-change-car-tyre-Unseen-pictures-Her-Majesty-serving-World-War-II.html

I loved Kate's dress. Good on her for dragging herself out of bed to do it, she looked lovely - if tired and wrung-out.

I'm not 'pretending' anything and stop with the personal attack. I'm in the Liberal Left.

I really doubt my politics are clear from my posts.

I think the Royals we currently have do a perfectly good job - this does not mean I think politically you can justify having a monarchy.

Peahen, the D of C did give the award to both Jessica Ennis and Bradley Wiggins. Sue just corrected Wiggo when he nearly picked up the wrong one.

So because we don't know whether or not she has ever done anything wrong, and can't speculate about what she might do in the future, it is fine to be publicly spiteful about her?

YY Laurie. Just as it would be completely possible for me to support regional devolution but think my current MP to be a nice person doing his job well.