To want to throw up a little bit (Prince William comment)

[fluffyraggies]

Just seen a clip on BBC breakfast of a speech given by Prince W, last night somewhere i presume, about how he and Kate are to be forgiven for nervously keeping an eye on their mobiles during the evening; George left at home.

Simpering laughter all round

I'm not anti-royal - bit on the fence - but this made me .

Over egging the 'ordinary man' pudding IMO. We're not stupid. I know it was light hearted, but come on. Like one of the staff would ring William's mobile mid-speech to say 'oi, Will, where d'y'keep the nappies mate?' FFS. They haven't left him with the teenager from next door!

(Plus i'm now going to have to listen to my mother simpering about did i see how 'Our William' had his mobile on ready in case the baby woke up)

It's early. I'm grumpy.

[melika]

We don't ACTUALLY care!

[Sirzy]

you might not Melika. But plenty of other people do.

[BalloonSlayer]

Actually remembering my own post-natal hormones, I think if my DH had made little jokes about my PFB "keeping people waiting," keeping him awake at night and needing his nappy changing too much I think I'd have probably gone totally hysterical on him . . . something like:

"How fucking DARE you make jokes about not having enough sleep when it is me up every two hours doing the feeds!"

"Stop moaning about having to change nappies. Fucking diddums. Do you resent the baby or something?"

I like his comments about being much more emotional since being a father and getting tearful about watching something horrible happening to a poor rhino, because that seems genuine, you can see his real bewilderment at the emotional change that being a parent brings.

I know the other comments are supposed to be genuine too but TBH at best they come across as very weak jokes, and at worse as passive aggressive moaning at being asked to change nappies and get up at night.

[Growlithe]

William is doing his job. He is tasked with keeping the country behind the monarchy and keeping the monarchy relevant.

That is a big task, and easy to get wrong, as Charles and even the Queen learned over his marriage to Diana.

William, if he and his advisors are canny, is wise to take a bit of the popularity of the 'People's Princess', with a bit of the reticence of the rest of his family and use all that to try to connect with the modern British public.

He's doing that with devices such as the car seat from the hospital and the mention of the mobile phone.

I think it is harsh to mock his privileged lifestyle. I wouldn't want it. The Royal Family over the 20th Century has been little more than a train wreck from start to finish, in the public eye. The Queen has been the one that has had to get on that train and get it back on track, then keep it there. On a personal level it can't have been that joyous a job for a young woman who had just lost her father, and since then her life, although coated in luxury, doesn't seem to have been very 'free'. From getting off that plane returning from Kenya looking composed after learning her father had died to attending a pop concert for her Jubilee when her husband had been taken to hospital, the burden of appearing 'emotionless' in the face of the public must be fairly grim.

No wonder, in his cack handed way, William is trying to cut through all that a little. He may have realised that the 'stiff upper lip' stuff isn't working anymore for his Grandmother and is trying to get the right balance between it and becoming Peter Andre.

Bit of a thankless task really.

[fluffyraggies]

Back. Had to pop out. Had breakfast. Less grumpy

Thank you SPB :) I am expecting.

I don't think i explained myself too well in my OP. I'm sorry. So many seemed to think i was saying they have no right to worry.

I'm really glad everyone has got the proper gist of what i was on about now. ie: Finding it cringey to hear this stuff inserted in his speech. I do just fine it a bit - uky. Rather he just said 'George is doing fine, this is our first night out without him', and left out the mobile phone rubbish. I cant tell if he's being toung in cheek or not re: the mobiles. Perfectly ready to accept i'm being U though.

sparkle said ''they have to play the game''. I suppose for me that has hit the nail on the head. You're right really. It's all a media game. I agree it's hard for them to win.

I do feel for William re: the press and his mother. I was a fan of Diana. Sometimes perhaps they are badly advised. Pushing the 'normal' thing is a dangerous game, i think.

Personally i would love to see Charles step down and let Wills and Kate take the reigns when the Queen dies. I think they could do allot of good for the modern image of the monarchy. But for me too much 'we're so normal' business just brings out the republican lurking in me that i didn't know i had.

[Thepowerof3]

It is their baby no matter how competent the person/people are he's been left with

[MrsDibble]

YANBU.

It's dreadful and patronising.

Plus they are not on a night out with friends, he is supposedly "working".

If you were giving a presentation at work, would you go on about nervously checking the mobile?

[CairngormsClydesdale]

It made you want to "vom"? Really? Have you considered wrapping yourself in cotton wool and covering all the windows with tinfoil?

[Birdsgottafly]

I think you need to remember that his first speech has been awaited by people and press, around the world.

The UK need to keep the Monachy on the World's stage, I think everyone underestimates the money generated by tourism. The UK needs it, more than ever.

I live in Liverpool without football and the Beatle's, many businesses would close.

William had to make his speech as personal as possible, many people do want to hear this.

They may have help, I would of paid for help, if I could of, that doesn't change the natural anxiety that Mums can suffer, or mean that the hands on care isn't being provided mostly by Mum and Nan.

[Growlithe]

MrsDibble yes I probably would mention this if it was my first presentation after having the baby, and the audience knew this. Especially if the birth had been splashed all over the world's media. I'd be weird not to.

[fluffyraggies]

Yes cairgorm really. It made me want to thrash around in a puddle of my own vomit. Really really really.

[Birdsgottafly]

OP it must of passed you by that this up c

[fluffyraggies]

Birds - ''William had to make his speech as personal as possible, many people do want to hear this.''

this. This is interesting to me you see. This simple thing is what would make me agree IABU. If this is what most people want to hear, and what makes the monarchy good for them, then that is fair enough.

[fluffyraggies]

birds - what is it up?

[Birdsgottafly]

Sorry.

That this up coming speech had, had a build up and was highlighted in all media as "William's first speech after becoming a Dad".

Then the content makes sence.

[Birdsgottafly]

Sorry I'm just to fat fingered (or old) for a touch screen phone.

[fluffyraggies]

No touch screens here either :) Good old fashioned keyboard.

[mignonette]

YANBU-I'm not being taken in by it all either. Yes they have normal feelings of concern for their baby. But you can bet this is being very carefully woven into the spin planned by the Palace PR team.

This family know that W and K are their only saving grace. And boy are they exploiting it.

The reality of the RF? Andrew, that fat pompous freeloading little prick who dares to whinge about the multi million pound security operation we pay for. I have to show ID every day when I visit various sites for work even though I have known the security for years. That is what you do.

Andrew- whose overseas trips are not graced by a media presence because they are as dodgy as hell.

He is a more accurate representation of this family.

[mignonette]

RE Tourism, we do not need a functioning RF to generate money from a RF. Versailles has made more money than all our royal tourist attractions. We wold generate tourist £££ without them. Our top tourist attractions have no link with the RF anyway.

[Branleuse]

yanbu. The whole "ordinary" image theyre desperatly trying to project to make the royal family so accessible to us commoners, is revolting.

[mignonette]

Yes and all those engagements our 'hardworking' Princess Ann etc is supposed to do? She has four,five, six engagements a day which works out as an average of 199 days a year on public duties. That leaves 2/3 of the year free for whatever else she does. That is not hard working.

Even 500 engagements a year at three a day works out at only 160 working days a year and that is underestimating the number per day that she does.

Very good PR.

[Growlithe]

I think this type od comment in this circumstance illustrates how he and his advisors are defining his family as inaccessible and off limits actually.

It is all being played in official engagements. He is keeping the media at arms length otherwise, and creating noise when they overstep the mark.

I see him as drawing the boundaries around his own family (including Kate) in a subtle but clear way.

[EdithWeston]

The typical 'working year' for most employees is reckoned at 225 days (when you knock off weekends and holidays). So 199 days on public duties is close to full time, and if you add on IOC and non-appearance charity work, that makes more than typical full time.

[mignonette]

She is not hard working. If she attends those engagements commuting like the rest of us, arranging them herself and doing all the scut work like we do plus driving herself then come back to me on that. Every part of her day is smoothed out for her. She is not hard working.

My estimates of her number of 'work' engagements were on the generous side. The amount of horses she keeps at Gatcombe and the amount of time she spends there clearly proves how much time she has to spend on private activities.