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.

With 70% of the British population in favour of the monarchy

I've not seen that stat. I thought it was only certain age brackets that had over 70% stats?

A crisis is more likely to prompt change than the status quo

I think a word like 'challenging' 'difficult' etc would have been less controversial. But it is not our job to come up with a word she should have used instead of 'exhausted'; don't the Royals have expensive PR for that? Surely it is their job to anticipate these situations and ensure that they don't say anything that rubs people up the wrong way?

Really I think the criticism on this thread is mild and reasonable and there is nothing 'bitchy' about it; nothing to the comprehensive trashing a certain other female member of the RF faced for being publicly unhappy.

Also, I haven’t seen anything which shows 70% support , particularly among the under 40s

I think the problem is with the set-up here. It's contrived to put a duchess in a zoom call with three normal folk and pretend they can have a conversation of equals. It was always going to jar.

Kate hasn't done enough meaningful work in the EY space or other fields to lend anything to this conversation - of she was someone who had been more visible doing on-the-ground work with struggling families during the pandemic earlier, she might have had more insight to offer. She has been quite a quiet presence so far, so it just looks as if she has floated down from a separate universe to offer empty platitudes about an experience she knows nothing about.

Maybe she has been doing lots of valuable work but it may just not have been publicised well enough, I don't know.

But, whatever she'd have said in this context would have appeared hollow.

Perhaps she's finding it exhausting even though she probably does have a lot of help?

And I thought the Queen had the most favourable stars of all.

I think a lot of the support for the monarchy is actually focused on the Queen herself. I do agree that in the future many things will change.

stats!

Yeah, how bloody awful of her to admit she’s struggling. She shouldn’t ever dare have any sort of human feelings ever, the entitled bitch.

@marbellamarc

With 70% of the British population in favour of the monarchy

I've not seen that stat. I thought it was only certain age brackets that had over 70% stats?

It’s an average over all age groups, it’s obviously higher in older people which brings the average up.

But yes - I do agree with you, @Livingtothefull- it's amazing how much slack people are able to cut for Kate compared with Meghan.

Maybe she should have approached it differently, maybe asked the questions rather than answered them. I don’t know. But I did see this rather amusing article in the Daily Mash.

THE Duchess of Cambridge has confessed she is exhausted by parenting under lockdown. Here is her average day:

7am

Kids wake me up as usual – their rooms are 80ft away but sound carries dreadfully in these Georgian country houses. Pull the gold rope next to the bed for their nanny to get them breakfast. Why is everything my responsibility?

8.30am

×
Wake William up, reminding him that he’s got to Zoom his brother and it’s past midnight in LA so he’ll probably be pissed. Tell him to ask Meghan about my Chanel coat that ‘went missing’.
9.30am

Begin homeschooling the kids. It’s not easy because it’s a mixed-age group and frankly mixed-ability. Poor Louis. Takes after great-uncle Andrew in the smarts department. Today’s lesson is smiling and waving, but at the same time.

11am

Finish screaming at the kids for f*king up their waving. “What the f*k was that?” I bellow at Charlotte. “You’re greeting your subjects, not trying to draw attention after suffering a stroke!” Kick them out into the grounds while I have a swift sharpener from the cognac decanter.

1pm

Completely forgot to do a Tesco click-and-collect so it’s swan for lunch again. The kids start snivelling the minute they see it, and even William rolls his eyes. “If you want something different, tell the bloody cook yourself!” I say, storming out for a fag on the upstairs balcony.

4pm

Wake up – I must have fallen asleep after my lunchtime cognacs – and go down to find William’s buggered off in his helicopter and there’s blood everywhere. The kids have been left unsupervised and they’ve killed a stag again. Pop them in the bath and have the corpse burned.

7.30pm

Finally the kids are in bed and I’m free to do what I want. Finish the cognac, light another gasper and put Bridgerton on.

10pm

Blind drunk, William lands the helicopter far too close to the house and wakes the kids up. “You can bloody deal with them after buggering off half the day,” I tell him, furious. With a long-suffering, ‘why always me?’ expression on his face, he pulls the gold rope.

Ok but isn't based on the current situation with the Queen?

I think a word like 'challenging' 'difficult' etc would have been less controversial.

Maybe she just wrote her honest feeling down. Imagine that.

And I think the comments would have been pretty similar if she’d wrote challenging or difficult....’oh yes very challenging with 10 tutors and nannies and a swimming pool’ 🙄

@Smncandles

Also, I haven’t seen anything which shows 70% support , particularly among the under 40s

Here you go.

yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2018/05/18/who-are-monarchists

From YouGov

Two thirds of Britons (67%, +4 since March) say that Britain should keep its monarchy, while only 21% would prefer that the country have an elected head of state.

Preference for the monarchy is higher among older adults, with 84% of over 65s choosing a monarch over an elected head of state. While younger adults – those aged 18-24 – still favour the monarchy, this rate is much reduced. Only half as many (42%) would keep having kings and queens, with a third (34%) preferring an elected official as head of state.

While the established rules of succession are clear that the oldest child of the sitting monarch should inherit the throne, adults in Britain are unsure about whether to follow the rules or break from this tradition.
Two in five (41%) adults want to see Prince William ascend to the throne, marginally higher than the 37% who want to see Prince Charles take over.

I still think the Queens death will have a huge impact in part because Charles isn't popular which will bring it all into focus. However I'm in my 30s, what bracket are you @VinylDetective?

So again, were back to only people in the worst possible situation can be exhausted

No, we're not. What we're saying is that for someone with so much help and privilege saying home schooling is exhausting is insensitive for someone in her position. There will be mighty few homeschooling parents in a better situation to cope.

I agree with PP - challenging or difficult might have been wiser choice of words.

@marbellamarc

I still think the Queens death will have a huge impact in part because Charles isn't popular which will bring it all into focus. However I'm in my 30s, what bracket are you *@VinylDetective*?

Oh, I’m old! 🤣

I’m not particularly a monarchist but I’m a bit of a sucker for history and tradition. I think the monarchy needs modernising for sure but I don’t want it to be abolished.

In the future I expect it to exist just not current form.

I know that she went on to elaborate and drew from her own experience, but I think the question posed on the group was simply to describe home schooling in one word. I'm not home schooling as my kids are too young but I'd imagine "exhausting" does pretty it up.

And if her personal experience of lockdown in general is exhausting, I'm not surprised. Everything about their lives is scrutinised and I imagine they do still have lots of Zoom engagements like this and need to be immaculate at all times. Remember the post baby shots outside the hospital not long after giving birth? Actually I'd quite like a team to have done my hair and make up when I felt a mess after having DCs for a nice photo but most on here agreed how difficult that must have been for her.

I can see why it may seem a little tone deaf but I think it was a much better response than a glowing experience of home schooling which would have grated more. In the moment what could she say?

Yes I agree with you it's incredibly insensitive.

"Pretty much sum it up", not "pretty it up"

I'm not a royalist but see she can't win here.

Would people here like to have been born into the British Royal family? I wouldn't. (I know she wasn't btw).