To think the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge need to work on their PR strategy?

[SamanthaBrique]

In recent months they've been accused of being work shy and what's their solution? To release photos of them and the children on a luxury skiing break! Now I don't begrudge them a holiday, but why make it so public? If they wanted to release photos of the kids then they could've just released a few shots of George and Charlotte at Kensington Palace or Anmer Hall. I don't know who is advising them on their PR but AIBU to think they need to engage someone a bit more in touch with public sentiment?

Yep because Kensington palace is really slumming it!

They'll have released holiday photos in return for a deal that the paparazzi leave them alone during those holidays.

Pix at Anmer wouldn't Achebe that.

Not much fun to be surrounded by cameras, and I can see why they'd put their DCs interests ahead of a bit of bad PR for them.

The Royals always take skiing holidays. Totally standard. Why is this suddenly an issue?

The only people 'accusing' them are the readers of the Daily Mail, so I'm not sure that warrants a full PR strategy re-write.

Clearly their priority is to maintain privacy and normality for their family, so if the way of doing that is to draw a line in the sand on not wanting to hold mass photocalls on their holidays, then good for them.

We don't know they went on a 'luxury skiing holiday'. We know they went to the French Alps for the weekend. You're filling in the gaps with speculation.
And why shouldn't they? They are both independently wealthy. The vast majority of people with their sort of money would be skiing every year.

None of the Daily Fail readers who take pops at them were doling out the same criticisms to their beloved Lady Di, who had just as many holidays.

no, I don't think so. I think the press need to learn some respect. Printing such garbage as them being work shy. In fact princess Charlotte is not even a year old, Kate (if in a normal office job) could still be on Mat leave. But she's done engagements/duties in that time.

Plus no amount of money or luxury clothing/holidays would make me want to swap places with them and the horrid constant intrusion into their privacy or judgement of them. They can have all the luxuries in the world, a yacht and a private plane for all I care, they have to life their life under ridiculous scrutiny. Plus money spent on them is dwarfed by the money brought into the country by tourists who love those photos.

yabu. Fools guided by fools. The more foolish they look the better in my book :)

No, because no matter what they do there will always be people moaning. They can't keep everyone happy.

I think they do a great job in representing our country and I wouldn't swop places with them in a million years!

They're arrogant. They made a deal with the press and reneged on it. They're now learning that you can't do that without it coming back to bite you on the arse, hard.

Good.

'They're arrogant. They made a deal with the press and reneged on it.'

What deal?

I think public opinion will really turn once the Queen is gone. Many people have a lot of respect for her and think she does a very good job. I don't see the rest as being able to command the respect of the public like she does.

Good on you, William is what I say. He probably doesn't want his family life to turn into the media circus that his family life turned into when he was growing up.

I think the papers are annoyed because instead of being able to stalk them with wide angle lenses like they wouldve done years ago they've had to make do with the photos they've released - so they're pissed off and write negative stories

They'll love them again next week, it's all a game and people who fall for it as just as bad

What deal Lynda?

I think (based on nothing but my own speculation) that it's Priority No. 1 for William to keep the press at bay in light of how his mum died. So we can expect these orchestrated photo calls for years to come. I think this is fine and fair, really - I wouldn't want them or anyone else hounded daily for photos. Annual xmas cards are just fine.

Interestingly there was a letter from a retired (?) helicopter pilot in the Times recently to say that William's shifts are standard - they can't work beyond X hours a week/month without extra tests or checkups. So the whole "work-shy" thing may also be baseless.

Get rid of the monarchy. Problem solved.

I think people need to stop obsessing about other peoples lives and being so bitchy about every little thing

If you oppose the monarchy, fine, but campaign on that instead of bitching

Diana courted the media, gave them masses to print and sold zillions of papers. Of course Diana got good press.

William and Kate aren't courting the media and therefore get lots of unpleasant digs.

Sorry, a casualobserver, that comment was for op/dailyfail readership, not aimed at you

No offence taken.

I think it's all the negativity is very unfair.

William didn't choose the life he has, he was born into it. I think he's presented himself very graciously in all he has done. You could argue that Kate chose the life she has, but at the end of day she met a man and fell in love. I don't think there's nothing wrong with that.

I personally love seeing the photos they release and I don't have any issue with them enjoying a skiing holiday. Millions of "normal" people do so every year too.

*anything wrong with that
That was supposed to say

I don't understand the workshy hatred comments. Royals have never really worked hard. They went on holiday for 4 days, not a big deal.

William wants to try and give his children as normal a life as possible, he should be commended for that.

Farahilda - see LeanneBattersby and BillSykesDog's posts at the end of this thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2587853-Why-are-the-media-suddenly-starting-to-turn-on-Kate-and-Wills which explain it very clearly

Why shouldn't they be 'work shy' if they want to be anyway? I would be if I had as much money as them.

I think the resentment comes from them doing very few royal engagements compared with the other senior royals. Also, apparently William only did 80 hours at work (RAF) last month so its not as if he is grafting very much there either.

But what do they owe the general public anyway, really? If they did no work at all, what then? Plenty of other rich people don't.