To find the media’s portrayal of Kate, Wills and the kids a bit grating

[1jan2021]

Does anyone find it irritating how the media will take any tiny thing and spin it to fit the narrative of how they want the Wales family to be?

I mean here, William barely glances at Kate and it’s not even clear that he’s looking at her anyway. Yet the media are determined that it’s a “look of love”:

“Prince William glances at Kate with look of love at Westminster Abbey”

https://mol.im/a/12055185

They also seem determined for the three children to fit into certain moulds too - George is the serious one, Charlotte is the confident one and Louis is the cheeky one.

My siblings and I had this when I was growing up and I really struggled with it. The more you’re told that you’re the shy one and your brother’s the confident one (for example) the more it becomes ingrained. And we were just an ordinary family, not in the spotlight - for the Waleses it’s magnified a billion times over!

I would say that rather than the Daily Mail itself, it is people stupid enough to believe what they read in the Daily Mail and other such rags that are to blame for a lot of the problems in the UK. A country wide lack of critical thinking is a serious issue.

What a vile thread.

So thread started by an avid DM reader, to be followed by posts from people stating as fact that Lewis is “stimming,” and then adding William as an abuser into the mix, oh and there’s some Meggan bashing in there too, after all, it wouldn’t be a royal thread without a bit of meggan bashing would it, even though she’s pretty much kept her mouth shut ever since Harry’s book was published.

You’re clearly loving this OP. Thread started deliberately to be goady

I think they seem well brought up kids. Louis does seem to be naturally cheeky and full of fun but that shows they are allowed to be which is great. Kids should be free to have fun.

The media did the same when prince William and Harry were kids, pidgeon holeing them. They are doing the same with Louis as he's so 'cheeky and mischievous'. He's a 5 year old boy who displayed typical behaviour for a child his age. My own 5 year old would have likely done similar.

You have no idea, you really don't...

She does though, minus blond curls!
On the same theme, Harry looks like Diana's red head sister & Prince Phillip. Charles looks like Prince Phillips father, Andrew & Phillips sister Sophie. George & Louis both look like Kate's Dad + King George. Zara looks like Phillips Greek/Danish family too. William looks like Diana, obv.

Lots of mumsnetters do this as well and not just with pictures. They take offence at someone's facial expression, "people looking at them funny" etc because they somehow know what a random person is thinking.

YABU for no other reason than using the DM as your source of “news”.

The body language 🙄.

Considering both have backgrounds with divorced parents and stepparent, I highly doubt either would prevent the other from seeing their children if they were to.

How people can think they can assume things just by small glimpses here and there of people they don’t know whatsoever baffled me.

Yes I find it nauseating. The PR firm are very good at making them look brilliant.

I agree OP. It is to create a particular narrative whatever the truth.

@Bimbom have you got a 5 year old? Louis’ behaviour was absolutely normal for a kid of that age. In fact, he did a hell of a lot better than my own - entirely NT - child would have done, who is 2 days younger than him. He’s only just turned 5, it’s a long, mental day with massive expectations and loads of weird and by turns exciting and boring stuff happening. Of course he yawned and fidgeted a bit ffs.

The DM is regularly full of absolute bollocks. I read it and am aware of this but worry not everyone is.

She’s been quiet for ages not like she should have to be for the sake of some on here even. Anything I’ve seen on the social media are recycled articles from last year even some from as far back as 2019.

Of course you only see it at your mother's home, like all the other MNers who seem obsessed and very aware of what the dreadful Mail publishes! Intelligent people do realise that other publications and websites also report the same events on the same way!

When she was about 4 Charlotte was very like Princess Margaret's daughter Sarah at the same age.

If Louis is neuro diverse like Kate's brother who has spoken about his ADHD then he copes incredibly well. No kid I know with ADHD could get through these long events in the way he has. Perhaps he will be able to break some of the stigma around ND. He seems like most 5 year olds under pressure in an unfamiliar, overstimulating environment so who knows. They seem like lovely children.

Of course you only see it at your mother's home, like all the other MNers who seem obsessed and very aware of what the dreadful Mail publishes! Intelligent people do realise that other publications and websites also report the same events on the same way!

I dont read any print media, so yes, it's at my mum's I see it. I don't see links to it anywhere except on here. I understand what you are trying to imply, but I'm hardly 'obsessed and very aware' replying to a thread on here

I hate most articles where someone picks apart minor body language things from a strategically selected photo.

It doesn't matter whether it's William and Kate, Harry and Meghan, Charles and Camilla. There's no need to pick people apart and look for drama.

Oh FFS !😡I’ve just clicked on a fucking DM link.😤

No warning given, YABU for that.

It's the Daily Mail! What do you expect?

They just make that shit up you know.

It’s a snapshot of a few seconds so impossible to tell anything from it. Fwiw to me it doesn’t look like he’s doing anything g involuntary at all - it looks like he’s messing around like most 5 year olds would.

If you have a child with ASD then presumably you’re aware that the diagnostic process has a bit more to it than watching a few split second video clips.

I don’t think there’s anything odd about that at all? Except that he’s probably a bit better behaved than most children his age likely because he’s been coached for the day and has had a lot of practice. My NT DC make funny gestures and expressions all the time. My oldest in particular. If you ask him what he’s doing or thinking about he’ll tell you that he’s imaging he’s on some kind of alien adventure in his head.

Obviously Louis could be ND but we know next to nothing about him. I actually think the Wales children are in an almost unheard of situation - the only times we really see them are in incredibly formal situations, never as normal children, and then we see endless footage of them from these incredibly long and boring services etc. The vast majority of DC are never in these kind of situations to begin with so it’s next to impossible to judge. The closest I can think of would be some kind of special school assembly - and when I go to these type of things events you have lots of lots of children fidgeting in much the same way as Louis.

I’m not a royalist but have read a few articles about the coronation- hard to avoid them, and it is quite interesting ! - and it strikes me that in all the overanalysis of every little thing no one’s leapt on the fact that Kate wore Diana’s earrings and said it was a veiled snub to Camilla. Not that I’m saying it is, it’s just the sort of thing that would normally be blown out of all proportion and presented as some symbolic act, I wonder how it would have been interpreted if it was Meghan who was wearing them…