Vanity fair article about Kate Middleton

[NCforthisoneb]

"She is said to find the constant clothes changes (up to five a day if the itinerary includes shooting, tea, and a formal dinner) and the omnipresence of a full household staff rather stressful,"

Now I am quite fond of Kate Middy but AIBU to have snorted very loudly at this sentence?

Oh to have such a stressful life!

I'm sure she's lovely. Lovely people also have jobs. Her job is looking nice and being pleasant to people while having huge support and vast finances (sorry - does my prejudice look big in this?).
FWIW, I quite like having a (maybe more pared down) royal family. However, it's not exactly chipping away at the coal face, working another shift as a nurse or junior doctor or stacking shelves, is it? And many of those people doing those jobs manage to put on clothes (sometimes without a stylist, hairdresser or makeup artist) and remain pleasant to those with whom they interact.

While she is under more scrutiny than most, where does this idea come from that she can't ever slouch in her PJs or be alone or chill or breastfeed quietly if she wants to? She can do all those things. The staff aren't in her face 24/7. It's not like she and wills are having sex in full view of staff. They have privacy in their apartments. Their housekeeper or whatever will be briefed on the order of the day and will be specifically chosen for their discreetness. She gets her own space. She really has a great life. Just think what the best organic food, beautiful spacious homes to live in with a generous decoration budget, your favourite fresh flowers delivered every day, never having to worry about your Council tax, energy bills, season ticket, credit card, car MOT or insurance ever again, would do for your mental health? I know it would do wonders for mine.

Yes having to meet public obligations and having to engage with staff must be difficult. I sympathise with that. But she has massive, massive compensations for those inconveniences.

I know its not the done thing to say 'I wouldn't want that life' but you can give it to me any time, i'm up for it.

The greatest con in the book is for these people to convince you that their massive privileged lives are as difficult as yours or mine and undesirable. It clearly works and ensures their institution continues to flourish.

At least her children have security presence.

Big parts of London, where I live have had their police stations closed down and no police presence on the streets.

Having said that, I'm sure she's lovely, no one's ever disputing that.

I can’t think of anything worse than that shit. All those people all the time! Ugh....

She won't be living like Georgiana of Devonshire with footmen lining the walls as they eat their dinner. I'm sure they often play at being a normal upper-middle class family by making their own meals and eating as a family at the kitchen table. The joy of having staff (I imagine) is that said staff can be told to make themselves scarce.

Exactly Supine

The greatest con in the book is for these people to convince you that their massive privileged lives are as difficult as yours or mine and undesirable. It clearly works and ensures their institution continues to flourish

Yes, can’t believe PPs think she’s 24/7 on display. They have one or two appearances a week that usually last an hour or so; god knows how they fill their time, but it’s a problem I’d like to have!

Yes, can’t believe PPs think she’s 24/7 on display. They have one or two appearances a week that usually last an hour or so; god knows how they fill their time, but it’s a problem I’d like to have

People seem to lack imagination. If two appearances are at different places then you have probably have hours of travel in between. And if she is making 5 dress changes a day then it isn't a couple of appearances a week .
My work place was across the other side of town. I used to curse daily at the 9-5 work hours which meant you sat at traffic lights for as long as the journey took as it was rush hour.
I visit a poorly relative weekly, I don't grudge the visit but the 45 min drive each way is a chore and becomes repetitively tedious.
I have steep stairs, I hate cleaning them.
I feel quite entitled to moan about these things but it seems some posters must have 24/7 misery so I am being quite unreasonable and, it seems, selfish to complain.

If two appearances are at different places then you have probably have hours of travel in between.

Most of the Cambridges' appearances and engagements are within central London.

And if she is making 5 dress changes a day then it isn't a couple of appearances a week .

The five outfits a day quote IS ABOUT SANDRINGHAM. Not in a normal week.

My work place was across the other side of town. I used to curse daily at the 9-5 work hours which meant you sat at traffic lights for as long as the journey took as it was rush hour.
I visit a poorly relative weekly, I don't grudge the visit but the 45 min drive each way is a chore and becomes repetitively tedious.
I have steep stairs, I hate cleaning them.

You are just like kate

The Royals font do traffic jams. Outriders close if roads so they can speed through. They also arrive by helicopter. Hardly your normal commute.

One of the key problems in my fantasy millionaire scenario is how I balance having lots of staff with wanting privacy to slob around.

Some sort of elaborate alert light scenario seems desirable. Red, do not disturb. Amber, come in and do your stuff but don't disturb me. Green, feel free.

Imagine if I spent the time on things I could actually achieve...

It’s a gilded cage. Who wants to live like that? However luxurious it is, there’s no freedom at all.

Also, the problem with commuting for 'normal' people don't apply to the royals.

You may feel stressed on your commute because you need to pick up your DC from a nursery, childminder or after school club. You know once you get home, you need to cook dinner, stick a wash on, iron the school shirts for the next day, run the vacuum round. You also know the next day will be the same. You may be putting up with uncomfortable and crowded public transport.

The royals will be traveling in comfort. They know their children are being cared for by nannies, they'll be going back to a beautiful home and no household chores to do.

It's a cushy gig.

People seem to lack imagination. If two appearances are at different places then you have probably have hours of travel in between. And if she is making 5 dress changes a day then it isn't a couple of appearances a week

She doesn’t do this on regular event days. Maybe overseas tours and Christmas at Sandringham. With events it’s one outfit, one or two hours, once or twice a week. Good gig if you can get it.

It’s not just official engagements though. She’s on display to some of the public every time she leaves the house. I expect that everywhere she goes she will be followed by paparazzi waiting for an interesting picture. I wouldn’t want that every time I want to pop to the shop/take child to the park etc.

'It’s a gilded cage. Who wants to live like that?'

Kate apparently.

She wasn't strong armed into marrying William. Her private life stays pretty private. And she has a lot more private time than official engagement time.

She has no privacy whatsoever. She’s constantly maligned and insulted on social media, has to play cat and mouse with the paps every time she puts her nose outside her residence and is escorted everywhere she goes by a police presence. If that isn’t a cage I don’t know what is. Bars are bars even if they’re diamond encrusted.

She chose this lifestyle knowing what it would involve. She doesn't need this hysterical pity.

So where’s the hysteria? Surely acknowledging that her life has its down side is reasoned argument?

By making claims that she has no privacy whatsoever. That's incorrect. Talk of gilded cages and diamond encrusted prison bars. It's all about ott.

It’s factually correct. Hyperbole is not hysteria.

Hopefully. It would be a bit pointless to be so concerned with the perceived life of a stranger. A stranger who appears to be pretty content with her life.

Why are you then?

I'm not concerned. That's my point.