To be a bit in awe of Carole Middleton?

[Swashbucklers]

For having gone from East London air stewardess, to successfully setting up and running a multi million pound business while raising 3 children, maintaining a very 'family' based life, and still looking after herself and looking great?

His the hell did she do that? I want to be her.

[Fairdene]

Zara looks great, really great. She's a fab role model really.

[BookFairy]

It makes me cringe to read comments suggesting that seeing royals married and with child somehow brings a world full of joy to me and mine. The Middletons have 'old money' and their daughter has married into the royals. They have a shit load of money to spend on looking like the perfect family.

[Fairdene]

Given her money I'd have said she doesn't look great in the least. Not bad but definitely not great. She looks far older than her age but that's sun and genes I suppose. Business wise she's done exceptionally well but she should hold back on exploiting royal events for an extra bit of cash which she doesn't now need. Also, she's entirely failed to pass on the work ethic to the girls - so what happened there? It's a shame and opens them up to ridicule. Kate and Pippa are both ridiculous really. I don't get this desperation to 'move up'.

[wordfactory]

Well, she spotted a gap in the market and went for it. So a good entrpreneur no?

[Onesleeptillwembley]

The York princesses manage to work.

[Onesleeptillwembley]

She had years to pursue a job/career before - she never. As for the sister, the business she's getting must be on her sister's name, as she's useless at it. Have you seen the book? And again - no real job/career.

[HugAMoo]

Why onesleep? One fell in love with Prince William, thus joining the Royal Family. What do you seriously expect her to do? Get a job at Tesco?

Her sister has, by association, become a well known face, therefore making it difficult to live a mundane, quiet life.

[Onesleeptillwembley]

See, hugamoo you say hardworking. I see the daughters, certainly, as idle opportunists.

[Crinkle77]

Of course they have done very well for themselves and good for them but anyone can look great with the right amount of money. I would not say she has jumped up the classes. To the 'real' upper classes she will always be a 'commoner'

[fabergeegg]

Yes I know. Trying to think of some of them but my mind's gone totally blank :)

[noddyholder]

I agree MI.

[motherinferior]

Hugamoo, I can assure you I am not remotely 'jealous'.

And the idea that who you marry is your most important career decision is utter bollocks. Got nothing to do with career. You do, clearly, have to pick a partner (whether or not you marry her/him) who does their share of childcare and domestic labour, but the rest is up to you. My partner has bugger-all to do with my career, and I have nothing to do with his.

[noddyholder]

I have no real interest in them but there are just so many awe-worthy women that she is probably the last I would think of

[fabergeegg]

Noddy I can understand where you're coming from to a point. It's nice to be able to make our own minds up about whether we respect and admire people, rather than being told it's our place to do so. But adopting an attitude of general dislike/churlishness towards people that we're not particularly drawn to can be another kind of trap. Who was that poet who says 'he wasn't good or bad; sometimes he did this, sometimes he did that'. Couldn't that be said about most of us?

[Ihatemytoes]

I'm not "in awe" no. Not at all. If her daughter hadn't married Wills, we wouldn't even know she existed!

[fabergeegg]

A pittance? What kids? Evidence, please!

[Bonsoir]

It's an awful lot easier to work if your DC are at boarding school!

Nevertheless, I am full of admiration for Carole Middleton and what she and her family have achieved.

[yamsareyammy]

How do we know their kids earned a pittance?

[noddyholder]

But I see the same as you and I don't think much of them.

[HugAMoo]

That's what I'm saying. From what we do see and know of them, I honestly don't see how you could have a negative opinion. They seem down to earth, don't seem surly or arrogant, appear very hardworking. I just honestly find the negative opinions very weird.

[noddyholder]

You have a positive view of them from the same media coverage as those who have a negative view. It sin't jealousy its a different interpretation of what they represent.

[noddyholder]

But you don't know them and assume they are throughly decent? I don't know them but think anyone who uses kids earning a pittance to make things for their business is not decent.

[HugAMoo]

It's odd though, isn't it? How people can have such negative views on them when we don't know them personally. All we have to go on is what we see in the media and what we know of their working life, owning their own business etc. They come across as thoroughly decent people so I am really perplexed as to how people can have negative views on them. That's why I attribute it to jealousy.

[noddyholder]

We need to move away from this jealousy thing It seems very british that if someone criticises or doesn't agree with someones lifestyle/views etc it must be jealousy if they are wealthy and look a certain way.

[HugAMoo]

There is not admiring them and then there's being spiteful and negative, the latter of which is uncalled for.