Anyone else smirking...

[PrettyPaperweight]

....at the clumsy way that the news reports are covering the visit of Prince Charles and Camilla to see the new Prince? Why is it that Camilla is never referred to as William and Harrys stepmum?

The whole "step" issue is causing some problems for the media at the moment; some are reporting Charles and Camilla as visiting their grandchild, others are reporting it as Charles visiting his "first grandchild" and others are avoiding describing the relationship all together!

I thought that too.
Don't they talk bollocks - I wish they'd open the doors and get on with it!!!

Yes, I noticed that too! I wonder if she'll be 'grandma'?

The BBC did use the word "step-grandma" at one point -but it's so pointedly ignored most of the time.
The irony is that is the media demonisation of "stepmums" in other scenarios that makes the phrase too risky for them to use regarding Royals, in case they offend/upset the general public!

Under normal circumstances it might have shone a light on how magnanimous William is prepared to be towards Camilla (as the notorious 'OW').

But, lets face it, the situation will be highly sanitised by the media, especially during the current baby-feber (all powder-blue fluffy bunnies everywhere) - William will only ever be shown as the perfect DS and DSS. I mean, can you imagine Nicholas 'the weasel' Whitchell saying anything other than what a tremendously close and warm relationship they have.

Well in truth, after everything that happened to Will's mum, lets hope that he does enjoy a reasonable relationship with Step-Grandmamaaaaaa. It is good everything working out well for him and Kate. She definitely got her own back on the press for calling her "Waity-Katie" - hope it wasn't too hot out there in 80degree heat for the past 2 weeks, chaps!

oops baby-fever

I would imagine it's possibly because they married when William and Harry were adults, so she's never taken any sort of mothering role. She's their father's wife, not any sort of mother figure.

Were they adults? Wasn't it around 1997 - which would make William around 15 and Harry younger wouldn't it?

Suspect that if she has played much of a mothering role, she's managed to keep it out of the press's eye. They're much more comfortable with her being Charle's wife than anyone stepmother.

They got married in 2005, so the princes would both have been 20+

She was the mistress. Not personally convinced they would ever have married if Diana hadn't died. The princes are presumably well brought up individuals who want their father to be happy...bet they grit their teeth an awful lot! I think they do an amazing job as a family of looking united, and it probablg helps that the queen is reported to have not been terribly fond of Diana, but itmust still sit a bit......well, with difficulty for all of them.

She was the mistress. Not personally convinced they would ever have married if Diana hadn't died. The princes are presumably well brought up individuals who want their father to be happy...bet they grit their teeth an awful lot! I think they do an amazing job as a family of looking united, and it probablg helps that the queen is reported to have not been terribly fond of Diana, but itmust still sit a bit......well, with difficulty for all of them.

She doesn't fit the title of stepmother for me, somehow, probably as others have said because Wills and Harry were adults when she was 'officially' on the scene, having no hand in their upbringing at all.

It's a bit like dating someone when you're both in your 60's and feeling not right about saying 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend'.

Ah, that's right - they were kids when Diana died, but adults by the time Charles remarried, so hard to know what involvement she'd have had with them before that. It's all a bit different for royals with multiple homes, etc!

My mum refers to her DSM as her stepmother though, even though my mum was 35 when her dad married her. She's certainly always been a granny to me.

On the other hand, my BiL has a lovely relationship with his stepdad, - who married his mum when he was a teenager (real Dad cleared off years before).

BiL calls him 'Bob' but when he talks about him it's always 'Dad' and he in turn talks about 'my boy' or 'my eldest' when referring to BiL. (BiL is 50+)

It honestly brings a lump to my throat, the real respect and love they have for each other.

I was 18 when my mum married my stepdad.
I don't call him dad but he is more to me than my mums dh and he refers to me as his dd.