Please or to access all these features

The royal family

Kate & The Middletons

1000 replies

Tabbytiger122 · 17/09/2026 12:36

I am currently reading Russsll Myers Catherine & William. Enjoying it but one thing that stands out is how the Middletons have never put a foot wrong.
Carole was not from an aristocratic background nor was Michael but they raised their kids not to put a step wrong. Kate also had embarrassing family members (Uncle Gary) but she still invited him to the wedding which was the right thing to do & it nipped the media scandal in the bud & took the wind out of any sails.. Meghan invited none of her extended family or her dad & it caused massive media speculation.
Kate was born for royal life & is a natural. Very proud of our future queen. Her parents did an amazing job.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
14
simpsonthecat · 18/09/2026 13:51

Tabbytiger122 · 18/09/2026 13:50

I always use Ham! Short for Harry & Meghan, it has been on this forum for years!

No.
It's recent
And never heard "Mrs Ham" before, apart from you on here

Jimsaidpeoplearestrange · 18/09/2026 13:52

Tabbytiger122 · 18/09/2026 13:50

I always use Ham! Short for Harry & Meghan, it has been on this forum for years!

only used by the pr thread folk. that and the awful hamlets.

Tabbytiger122 · 18/09/2026 13:55

Jimsaidpeoplearestrange · 18/09/2026 13:52

only used by the pr thread folk. that and the awful hamlets.

If you say so Jim!

OP posts:
AlonsoMosley · 18/09/2026 13:55

LipglossAndLies · 18/09/2026 11:28

Not just a few years we are talking 8yrs abo practically a decade. These people will still be going on about for redt of their lives no doubt. Baffling why it takes up peoples heads space for so long.

I can understand someone not forgetting or getting over more serious things like trauma but a strangers wedding and who didn’t attend...🫣

Don't you think it must be a PR team pushing this? It seems to crop up every time something pops up about the in situ crowd...

It is always the same talking points, on repeat, over years.

lastapache · 18/09/2026 14:07

GhostEed · 18/09/2026 12:22

But hedge fund managers and wealthy people working in tech aren’t funded from the public purse unlike the royals.

As someone else quoted below, she does about 60 odd engagements per year. I can’t imagine what prep she has to do besides picking out a nice frock and doing her hair. But then she probably doesn’t do that herself either! There is no way she’s ‘working’ a 35 hour week

Edited

I dunno about that. Before she got sick, she did 120-140 royal engagements a year. Now, some of them would have been on the same day, but say she did about 90 days of engagements in the full year. Now, given most of the engagements are for charities, or hospital wings, or museums, she has to actually know what she's talking about when she makes a speech or meets the staff. I would say for each engagement she'd have to do at least 3/4 hours of being briefed on the history of the charity, the art in the museum, who the main management are, and then hair and make up of course.

This stuff doesn't just tick over, everyone who has ever met a royal on these occasions are always very effusive about how much they know. This sh*t is a job. A stupid job? Yes. But a job all the same.

If you add on the prep time, you're probably saying two days a week of engagements, with a 1.5-2 days of prep time. Not exactly a taxing schedule when compared to the rest of us but also the rest of us don't have a bank of reporters following us on our commute and then sitting down beside us in the office reporting on what we're wearing, were we nice to everyone, did we look engaged at that team meeting, did we step out of line at any point. It must be utterly exhausting. You honestly couldn't do it for more than a couple of days a week.

And I sincerely doubt ANY of the engagements take 15 minutes. No way does Princess Kate show up to the opening of a museum wing, or anything, and get in and out in 15 minutes. It'd take 15 minutes to just get through the front door with all the handshaking and little-girl-flower-taking.

LipglossAndLies · 18/09/2026 14:18

AlonsoMosley · 18/09/2026 13:55

Don't you think it must be a PR team pushing this? It seems to crop up every time something pops up about the in situ crowd...

It is always the same talking points, on repeat, over years.

If you are here posting for years and almost daily yu need tho keep repeating things otherwise there isn't much to say is there. If you take the PR thread at 40k posts, 90% is repeated comments how else do you generate that many 😆 same rubbish said 5 different ways month after month year after year.

Op is perfect leoof of this in this thread lone she has posted more than 3 times about where was Meghans famt and friends at the wedding ...same rant over and over

OneLilacHedgehog · 18/09/2026 14:20

AlonsoMosley · 18/09/2026 13:55

Don't you think it must be a PR team pushing this? It seems to crop up every time something pops up about the in situ crowd...

It is always the same talking points, on repeat, over years.

I don't know. I would like to think that Clooney being at their wedding isn't taking up people's headspace after all these years.

Banjas · 18/09/2026 14:41

ItsAlwaysTwins · 17/09/2026 21:05

I think Kate is perfect for her role. She’s thin and photogenic and smiley. She is completely and utterly bland and inoffensive and has fulfilled her brood mare role nicely.

She’s a terrible public and off-the-cuff speaker, but that is hardly ever required so it doesn’t really matter. Turn up, smile and repeat. 10/10.

A wee bit harsh but true.
She represents the RF very well.
I don’t admire the Middletons as when their business went belly up (Covid closures were definitely a factor) many small suppliers lost money and HMRS was owed a substantial amount and they kept their big house and swan off to the VIP sections at Ascot and Wimbledon etc.
Couldn’t their 2 wealthy sons in law have helped pay off the debts ?

HonorBound · 18/09/2026 16:32

BunnyBunbunbun · 18/09/2026 10:10

Which political opinions were those? Did he say who he votes for? What he thinks of Trump? Whether Israel should be boycotted?

the royal family don't vote at a general election, it doesn't happen

LipglossAndLies · 18/09/2026 18:42

Kate has a curated look lets facd it this is a version of her not the real her so lets not take this version and extrapolate it to mean it tells us all about her. Just like celebrities like Taylor Swift erc they all have a version they show us that protects their brand etc.

CathyorClaire · 18/09/2026 21:22

simpsonthecat · 18/09/2026 07:03

Shame their business folded owing a total of £2.7M and £700K to HMRC so hardly as pure white as you are making out! Owing HMRC so much is a form of taxpayers funding them. (let alone the scores of small businesses who weren't paid. After them moving into a £5million house) There was so much bad feeling about it, some traders were sticking posters up on lamposts where the Middletons lived. So please do not super gloss them.

This.

Along with the sudden transition to protecting assets after decades bumbling along as an unlimited liability partnership.

Awaiting the usual assurances it's all just business as usual but IMO if it smells like a royal rat it's only ever going to be sprayed with royal perfume.

EvieBB · 18/09/2026 21:37

GhostEed · 18/09/2026 12:22

But hedge fund managers and wealthy people working in tech aren’t funded from the public purse unlike the royals.

As someone else quoted below, she does about 60 odd engagements per year. I can’t imagine what prep she has to do besides picking out a nice frock and doing her hair. But then she probably doesn’t do that herself either! There is no way she’s ‘working’ a 35 hour week

Edited

It's the emotional toil that counts as work though imo. I would hate to be so constantly scrutinised.

OneLilacHedgehog · 18/09/2026 21:48

EvieBB · 18/09/2026 21:37

It's the emotional toil that counts as work though imo. I would hate to be so constantly scrutinised.

Catherine, unlike William, chose to be royal. She chose this life. And there was a long engagement so she got a good idea of what married life would be like. If it was an issue being scrutinised she could have chosen not to marry William.

Gertrudethechicken · 18/09/2026 22:34

How does the royal boot taste, op? 🥴

BusyExpert · 18/09/2026 22:36

twocornichons · 17/09/2026 17:33

I don’t think they’ve been a huge asset to the crown at all ! Illness aside ( and this is before she became unwell) Kate could have done an awful lot more to help Meghan who was being bullied by the press - all whilst spearheading an anti bullying campaign ! Oh the irony .. luckily I don’t want to read about them but an asset they clearly are not

What nonsense are you really 5his gullible?

iloveanearlynight · 18/09/2026 22:59

She wished to be known as Catherine years ago. Can we drop all this 'Kate'.

Tabbytiger122 · 18/09/2026 23:49

BusyExpert · 18/09/2026 22:36

What nonsense are you really 5his gullible?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56272104

We all know who the real bully was!!

File photo dated 02/10/19 of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during a visit to the Tembisa township in Johannesburg

Buckingham Palace to investigate claims Meghan bullied staff

Buckingham Palace is "very concerned" by a report that royal staff made a complaint about the duchess.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56272104

OP posts:
EvieBB · 19/09/2026 03:49

OneLilacHedgehog · 18/09/2026 21:48

Catherine, unlike William, chose to be royal. She chose this life. And there was a long engagement so she got a good idea of what married life would be like. If it was an issue being scrutinised she could have chosen not to marry William.

Yes but the emotional toll that the role brings is still work. I can't imagine it's a walk in the park. She is a definitely not lazy

lastapache · 19/09/2026 07:31

Yeah, she knew what she was getting into, but she knew the monetary benefits. She weighed them up, and said yes. And you can’t say “ah sure anyone would have said yes”, because it’s quite clear that lots of aristo women didn’t and ran a mile.

So that’s what I mean by saying she earns her money, the job may only be 3-4 days a week but is difficult and exhausting and once outside of your home you are never “off”. She may be a lot of things but she’s not lazy.

Tabbytiger122 · 19/09/2026 09:12

lastapache · 19/09/2026 07:31

Yeah, she knew what she was getting into, but she knew the monetary benefits. She weighed them up, and said yes. And you can’t say “ah sure anyone would have said yes”, because it’s quite clear that lots of aristo women didn’t and ran a mile.

So that’s what I mean by saying she earns her money, the job may only be 3-4 days a week but is difficult and exhausting and once outside of your home you are never “off”. She may be a lot of things but she’s not lazy.

Yes I agree there is so much more behind the scenes that we don't see, meetings, charity meetings, engagements with William on top of taking care of her health , recovering from cancer can't be easy on top of being a mother to three kids & a daughter to parents who are in their seventies.

OP posts:
HonorBound · 19/09/2026 09:37

Tabbytiger122 · 19/09/2026 09:12

Yes I agree there is so much more behind the scenes that we don't see, meetings, charity meetings, engagements with William on top of taking care of her health , recovering from cancer can't be easy on top of being a mother to three kids & a daughter to parents who are in their seventies.

Diana was doing treble the engagement with two young sons, that Catherine POfW was doing before the cancer

It just a very much lighter work load

ItsAlwaysTwins · 19/09/2026 09:39

Kate and William have always done the bare minimum regarding engagements. Can’t blame them really, it must be deathly dull.

ERthree · 19/09/2026 10:09

I don't think W&C are lazy. I think The Queen saw the damage done by the way her children were raised and how William and Harry's life was so chaotic she realised that as close to normality (as being In line to throne can allow )that William especially must be allowed a life where he could raise his own family in relative peace before becoming King. As each year goes by and Charles becomes frailer William will increase his public engagements, Catherine will remain in the background supporting their children until they reach adulthood unless Charles dies before then.

simpsonthecat · 19/09/2026 10:25

I think it is appalling that a 40 something man does between 100 and 200 engagements a year but his 77 year old father who has cancer does more than 500.
There is no excuse. 'But the children' will not work much longer. Kate is around. The eldest child boards, Charlotte flexi boarding, and they have a full time nanny. Where has it ever been said that Kate is supporting her elderly parents?! Don't be so silly!

It's pathetic and the excuses are showing them up.
But hang on, they are going to a film premiere with Tom Cruise soon so we can all ooooh and ahhhh at Kate's dress, so that's OK.

EvieBB · 19/09/2026 10:52

Tabbytiger122 · 19/09/2026 09:12

Yes I agree there is so much more behind the scenes that we don't see, meetings, charity meetings, engagements with William on top of taking care of her health , recovering from cancer can't be easy on top of being a mother to three kids & a daughter to parents who are in their seventies.

I agree

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is not accepting new messages.
Swipe left for the next trending thread