Royal style & gossip: hairbands and birth plans

[QueenOfTheAndals]

Will Kate emerge from her Norfolk seclusion sporting a bigger than ever Alice band? Will the Mail and Express stories about Meghan get more ludicrous by the day? And will this thread see the arrival of Baby Sussex? All will be revealed in due course...

Link to previous thread

It certainly feels quite judgemental, to me anyway.

I am a bit cringy at the implication that as taxpayers we somehow deserve insight into their private family lives (and I say that as someone who would sack them all tomorrow and turn the place into a republic).

But like we read all the time on threads about deadbeat dads, children are not pay per view. Even Royal children. It shouldn't be a deal that taxpayers = pics. I recognise that often it is, but we should recognise how we appear if we take that line.

But it’s like any aspect of being in the public eye - they’re part of an institution that’s rigid in its practises (too rigid). So if you want to say “we’re doing something different”, then tell people in advance. There is a lot of scope between the “Kate on the steps” model and the Sussex’s latest statement.

Ultimately this goes to the principle Harry seems to be pushing (?) of not following the stricter royal practises - if you do things differently to the Royals, when do you stop being a Royal? To me Royalty is BS (so sorry!), but the things you’d recognise as Royalty are their practises, the ceremonial stuff and the meet and greets. You could probably be more informal in your behaviour at those jobs, but not in communications with the public on big events.

Unfortunately if the public pays your way, and the public wants to know the basics about your family life, those are the terms of being Royal. And anyway communicate better.

TBF the public don't pay for H & M - it comes from the Duchy of Cornwall via Charles.

I'm just praying this isn't being done because something's not quite going to plan. Fingers crossed mum and baby are both well.

As a feminist, my view is that royal practices are immaterial when the countervailing principle is a woman's agency over her own body.

But who actually needs to know in advance? Actually no-one.

No need for such announcement, if indeed the baby is born, they could have kept it unknown , a while longer.
There are so many die hard fans out there , bet they are disappointed.

It IS judgemental. Let’s call a spade a spade. Whatever they do will be wrong.

I’m convinced older mums have a girl first and I’m one Slipper as the sex is decided by the sperm the age of the mother has no bearing (I'm an older mum of a boy). In fact I believe research shows older fathers are more likely to have boys and as generally speaking older Mums will have older partners it more likely that older mums will have sons.

I do think she will have a girl, not because she is older or because Serena Williams referred to an unnamed friends baby as she (I think this is because she has a daughter so "she" will be a default for her). I just think she will.

I have a 50/50 chance of being right

I think the baby will be a girl. To be honest, I don't blame them for not wanting to share the baby right away, once they do there's no going back, so just for a while they want he/she to just belong to them. But I don't think a delay in announcing the birth is necessary, a simple 'mum and baby are doing well, further details will be released in a few days' is sufficient. That said, I do think they need to be careful not to come across as wanting their cake and eating it with regards privacy/role/position etc.

BP will announce when Meghan is in labour
Then there will be a photo a few days later, at Windsor.

To be honest, why does Meghan need to even announce she is in labour. I think their approach is very sensible. I like Royals and new babies, but I think there are moments in people’s lives when they should be allowed to put themselves and their baby first.

FWIW, when I had my first, apart from my parents, I didn’t have visitors for 3 weeks as I felt so dreadful.
Good on Meghan for taking pressure of herself, and setting the tone for their child’s level of privacy.

With respect, I don't think this is a feminist issue. We might speculate, but no-one here is demanding a post-birth photo, a birth plan, a birth story, or remotely similar. Just a simple announcement: baby has been born. They are in a very particular public role, not a regular celeb, not a pollie, not anyone who earns their living through anything except public money and indulgence and the whole point of the royal family is the title and succession of title and the tourism etc funds they bring in. I'm very happy to be corrected though!

But they haven't said they won't be announcing the birth, just that they're keeping the plans around the arrival of the baby private. So not revealing details of which hospital etc. I'm sure a birth announcement will happen on the day itself, although we may not see a photo immediately.

A psychic cat on GMB predicted Harry and Meghan baby would be a girl .

I'm very excited to hear about the baby but I'm just hoping all four are okay.

I really don't see why we need to be told when Meghan is in labour. That's a private thing. Well it was for me.
Just let us know when the baby has arrived.

I think the baby has been born. It’s unlike the Sussex’s to be out of the spotlight for even a couple of days.

"“Even though the official palace statement said the baby wasn’t due until April, the
actual due date is a few weeks before that – senior royals just wanted to give Meghan and Harry a bit of breathing room with all the attention on her pregnancy,” says the royal source."

I can't get too worked up about it. If they did a Kate 'on the steps', I would have enjoyed looking at the pics. But they are entitled to do whatever they choose. I hope it all goes well for them and wish them all the best. No doubt there will be a pic sooner or later!

"as they prepare" to welcome the baby. I hope he/she hasn't been born or this is a very badly worded press release, if so. And will not be well received by the supporters, I'm guessing.

Why do posters keep saying there are four of them? Is it they think there will be twins but why then refer to ‘the baby’ or are they referring g to the ridiculous conspiracy theory of a surrogate which is too tiresome and stupid to even get wound up about by anyone except the die hard Union Jack flag camp.

Harry is out and about in Barking today and I doubt he'd be doing that if the baby was already here or Meghan was in labour.

oh good, if he's out and about as usual we can assume Meghan's at home with her feet up watching daytime TV

I think with the tv series thing with Oprah that Harry and Meghan will have to decide if they want to be celebs or royalty. The tv stuff hasn't ended so well with the RF in the past.

If I were them, well they're plenty rich enough - I would just decide to be celebs stop having tax payer funded security and slope off to the US to enjoy the life of a top notch influencer.

Why say this last minute before the due date?

Maybe there are complications which are none of our business, or maybe they want to get photos to family in the USA first.

Back to fashion for a mo, just saw this on IG. The coat has a belt, the underside of which is a similar shade to the trousers. She looks fab. This is what I'd like to see Kate in, a fresher, more modern take on classic.