2011

Ingrid Seward is a prominent royal writer, biographer and editor in the UK. She’s often called in by American publications to explain royal traditions or provide sugary quotes about the greatness of the Queen, the Prince of Wales or the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Like, People Magazine interviews her all the time and often throws in some of her quotes in pieces about the Cambridges. She’s known as a more conservative and pro-monarchy royal writer. So this is sort of amazing – Ingrid Seward wrote a column in the Mail on Sunday about the Cambridges’ janky media strategy and just what a boneheaded idea it was for Kate to skip out on the Irish Guards on St. Patrick’s Day. If even Seward feels bold enough to issue a public smackdown, you know there are issues. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights: Missing out on the Irish Guards ceremony on St. Patrick’s Day: “So unthinking were her advisers in Kensington Palace that when a row about her absence erupted they replied that she’d simply gone home to Norfolk to be with her children. For Kate to miss an opportunity to honour the Armed Forces with such a lame excuse shows a distinct lack of understanding. If she wants to be thought of as a modern princess who will go the extra mile for the brave soldiers she represents through her charities, she should have been there at their new barracks at Hounslow, not at home in Anmer Hall. It somehow made the covenant between Royals and the military look as if it didn’t matter.” Seward blames bad advisors: “The Duchess’s advisers should have stopped to think how pitiful an excuse it looked to soldiers who have been divided from their families for months on operational tours since British Forces became engaged in the War on Terror in 2003. But they clearly did not. Sadly, for William and Kate, who could do no wrong at the time of their marriage in April 2011, it’s another unnecessary mistake.” William gets slammed too: “Last month the Duke failed to show up at the Baftas for the second year running. He is the Academy’s president, so it’s as if the cream of British cinema and a clutch of Hollywood A-listers had been stood up by their host. Again….Prince William said recently that the growing criticism of himself and his wife ‘came with the territory’. But it doesn’t have to. If he did not appear to be chafing quite so much at his Royal responsibilities and was more accepting of the affection on offer from the millions who will one day be his subjects, he could be forgiven a lot.” Instead of being friendly to British media, William is courting foreign media: “Prince William seems to be impervious to this idea. Instead he has begun to groom foreign media who give him the same platitudinous message that they give various celebrities. While holding the British press at arm’s length, the younger members of the Royal Family are giving cuddly, banal interviews to favoured publications and American TV networks.” Surrounded by privilege: “When William and Kate first married they insisted they didn’t want to be hidden in the ivory tower of royalty. They wanted to be with the people doing what they did, not surrounded by riches and privilege. Now they are doing just that. Of course they will one day be anointed King and Queen, and they will need their people behind them. Courting favour overseas won’t work and nor will ignoring public opinion at home.” The spoiled couple: “They may have been thrilled by their own cleverness at having a secret four-day ski break in Courchevel earlier this month but where they see an entitlement to privacy, the public see a rich, increasingly spoiled couple growing surprisingly distant.” [From The Daily Mail] The rest of Seward’s piece is a comparison of the Cambridges to the older royals, with Seward even saying that the Duchess of Cornwall understands the royal role so much better than William and Kate. Charles gets compliments as well for always putting duty first, for working so hard, etc. As I said, if someone like Seward is throwing down some heavy criticism of William and Kate, you know it’s bad. You know what I’m starting to wonder? I’m quietly developing a theory that all of this criticism might work in William’s favor in one particular way – he’ll use this as an excuse to quit his part-time EAAA job, which clearly already bores him to tears. He’ll say he has to quit the EAAA because something something criticism and his royal role. Then he’ll be on to a new scheme to avoid royal work. Oh, and the Sunday Express ran an interesting piece about Kate skipping out on the Irish Guards too – go here to read. Apparently, Kensington Palace is now claiming that they informed the Irish Guards “months” ago that Kate would not be handing out shamrocks this year. And somehow she knew months ago that she would need that day to prioritize her children? It’s a weird explanation. Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.