To be annoyed by the Duchess of Cambridge's claim that home schooling is 'exhausting'

[Livingtothefull]

www.edp24.co.uk/news/kate-middleton-video-call-parents-homeschooling-challenges-pandemic-7080128

I accept that lockdown has had an impact on everyone to some extent, however privileged. But I can't help being irritated by this. Even if we accept that she is doing the home schooling herself without any help, I don't think there is any comparison between her situation and that of many other people. I am not saying lockdown isn't difficult for her.....but it is a million times harder if you are say a single parent, struggling with home schooling and a minimum wage job which you may lose any time, worried sick about your and DC future if this happens. And doing it in a poky flat instead of a vast country estate.

And I know she may be trying to show empathy with the rest of us. But TBH I would have much more respect for the royals if they would just acknowledge their privilege rather than claim common ground which just isn't there.

Respect the queen but the rest can go now thanks.

See PR gaffe. they don't want too many people to think like this. Hence why the whole exercise should have been thought out more.

I know nothing about her day to day life other than she is doing a lot of valuable work to keep the coat dress alive.

However, from the transcript, all she expressed was that she is finding it harder than normal, and having 3 young kids I think that's understandable. I fully accept that a family.on limited income, or a single parent would be finding it much, much harder but dont think we should police people expressing their experiences just because they have more or less.

That said, it would have been far classier if she had acknowledged her privileges rather than trying to make it a direct comparison between her and the others for the sake of scoring relatability points.

Their job is to look pretty, head up charities and open things. The rest of the time they just need to button it.

@CouldItBeJeffrey

I am not saying lockdown isn't difficult for her.....but it is a million times harder if you are say a single parent, struggling with home schooling and a minimum wage job which you may lose any time, worried sick about your and DC future if this happens. And doing it in a poky flat instead of a vast country estate.

I'm a SAHP with two children. Am I allowed to find it tough or do I not meet your threshold? We have enough food to eat and a device each to use in case that rules me out. Am I too privileged to say this is bloody hard? Can we not just accept that it's quite a shit time for most people without constant competitive misery?

Exactly this. I'm a SAHM with two children, one at primary school age and a child roughly the same age as Louis. I've got a decent sized house and garden and plenty of tech. DH is working from home, we're fine financially.

Am I not allowed to say it's hard either? It is, really bloody hard.

Lots of people having it harder than me (and I appreciate that there are many of them!) does not mean that I am not allowed to be utterly exhausted at the end of the day and it's no different for the DoC either. I expect she looks forward to bedtime as much as the rest of us do!

YABU.

I’d much rather have my freedom than every ounce of my life scrutinised, everything I ever said pulled apart and used to berate me.

She’s raising a potential future king, I can’t imagine it’s a walk in the park, in fact I can imagine it being a pretty lonely life and one I wouldn’t swap for anything.

YABU. What did you want her to say? She just said how she felt when asked the question. She wasn’t saying she had it worse compared to commoners

@StrawBeretMoose

It is ridiculous and patronising, better to say nothing than come out with that claptrap.

I agree. This pandemic is not a 'misery competition' but really, she might as well be on Mars as have anything in common with my particular situation. I expect she means well but it is rather tin eared.

When will this bloody family become obsolete?! 21st century Britain and we still have 'serfs' paying to the Lords for their kids to go to posh schools and put on fancy dresses to soirees, for an army of help to look after them and a truckload of advisors clamouring to make this disgusting family look relatable.

one I wouldn’t swap for anything.

Id hate it. But that's the job so you need to do it well.

Also I think it is tougher for her but they are different stressors. I’d much rather not be chased by the media, having my life scrutinised by tabloids every second of the day, alongside the pressures of my “day job” and bunch of meetings and ceremonies I’d have to attend as future queen. AND the pressure of having to educate a future king. No slack days for them. Least if I really wanted I could skip a day or two of homeschool and just stick kids in front of the TV

keep the coat dress alive.

🤣🤣 Are coat dresses just for royals? I have never seen one in the wild!

The queen is always very good at empathising in my view without being ludicrous or patronising, she was very good during the war at saying she understood because she had observed or listened but not that she was actually experiencing it herself. The rest of the royal family need (or really their advisors since everything they say will be managed) to look at this. They are clearly never going to be down with the people and should not pretend to be so. It is a PR gaff. I think a word like strange would have been better. Strange having them at home and on online lessons all day rather than in school. Probably still not quite right but not controversial and more believable. I know she was asked directly about home schooling but even exhausting in that context is odd - they are at a school with excellent online provision and constant follow up if the work isn’t being done plus they will have endless resource to catch the kids up if they aren’t doing it plus there have been several pictures of at least one nanny with them during lockdown so they will not be doing it alone by any means. I genuinely do not understand how she is finding it exhausting.

It's not a competition. Things are hard for everyone at the moment. And the Duchess of Cambridge often looks knackered. I have no idea what exact help she has but it doesn't really matter. She's allowed to say she's finding it hard if asked a direct question about how she is feeling. If she'd been asked how it was for her compared to others, then fair enough she should acknowledge differences. But she's a mum, and being a mum is tiring especially when things are so shit.

I found that article very tone deaf. YANBU

Good grief what nasty bitchy comments. She is a very hands on mum. She doesn't just hand them over to nannies. She has three small children and is "allowed" to be tired. Money has nothing g to do with it if you are working hard to educate your children. Soundsike lealousy to me which is a nasty trait that people need to get rid of. Make the best of your own life. Dont waste time being jealous of people with more money than you. Money doesn't make people happy.

Im not really interested in the Royals, she seems genuine and it was pro
bably a throw away remark. If she as much as removes a few extra eye brow hairs, its all over the press.

The queen is always very good at empathising in my view without being ludicrous or patronising, she was very good during the war at saying she understood because she had observed or listened but not that she was actually experiencing it herself.

An Irish relative who always disliked the RF met the Queen & became a big fan. Buys every copy of Hello now 🤣. That's doing the job well.

I just read the article and she has gone out of her way to relate to ordinary people who are coping with the changes forced on them by covid.

What the fuck should she have said - "I'm not tired at all because I have so much super duper support, so sorry for you plebs you must be done in"?

She will be overseeing the online learning that George and Charlotte are offered via their school, trying to keep their attention and help them submit the work, while looking after a wriggly toddler. She is allowed to try and relate to the rest of us.

Soundsike lealousy to me which is a nasty trait that people need to get rid of. Make the best of your own life. Dont waste time being jealous of people with more money than you. Money doesn't make people happy.

Do you understand the concept of the RF? Should the RF not be criticised? Their existence in the current form is influenced by their popularity is it not?

How do we know she's a hands on mum? Because we're told? Because we see the carefully orchestrated family events?

So many people desperate to relate to a world so far removed from our own. We're a nation of happy serfs at heart, aren't we? Fair play to them, the royal family are brilliant at keeping everyone happy in their place.

Nasty and unnecessary thread.

I think Kate seems very kind and caring, especially concerning children and mental health issues.
If she’s homeschooling 3 young children, she may well feel exhausted. Being rich won’t change that.

Do you feel better for getting your bitchiness out though? Probably not.

The queen is always very good at empathising in my view without being ludicrous or patronising, she was very good during the war at saying she understood because she had observed or listened but not that she was actually experiencing it herself

The queen operates on level of duty more than entitlement and has earned the respect that follows.

Kate was an educated, apparently intelligent young woman who could have been a role model for other young women. Instead she has chosen to be a silent clothes horse, including during the rumoured philandering just occasionally opening her mouth to mutter some meaningless platitude about the "kiddeeees".

I was quite surprised to see just how few engagements W&K do compared to older members of the royal family, even allowing for K's periods of mat leave. They could learn a lot from HM and Anne.

Do you feel better for getting your bitchiness out though? Probably not.

Do you?

She is completely lacking any self awareness at all and anyone fawning over her is embarrassingly gullible. NOTHING in her life is a logistical challenge. Yes, she will have the same personal issues as many people but to compare a life where all you have to do is parent (and even this is with professional help) with no housework, bills to worry about, grocery shopping, worrying about your job or even going to work to any normal person in the country is just rude. It is plain flipping rude. Let them eat cake springs to mind. Rude, clueless, insulting idiot

So many people desperate to relate to a world so far removed from our own. We're a nation of happy serfs at heart, aren't we? Fair play to them, the royal family are brilliant at keeping everyone happy in their place.

It's so fucking weird & quite eye opening. I wasn't born here & parents aren't English maybe that's why I find it so weird.