Tag: kate middleton

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Kate Middleton royals

British photographer: The Princess of Wales ‘is not a great photographer’

british-photographer:-the-princess-of-wales-‘is-not-a-great-photographer’

I’m not a professional photographer or even a good amateur photographer, but I know that the new Princess of Wales is not a very talented amateur photographer. She has problems with composition, lighting and she’s overly reliant on outdoor scenery. The only reason why people talk about “Kate, the Keen Photographer” is because she photographs her children for their annual birthday portraits. Which is fine, honestly. I don’t have an issue with that and I actually think it’s one of the nicest things she does. But according to one British photographer, Kate should probably leave it to the pros. This is funny:

The Princess of Wales has published some charming photos over the years to mark significant occasions, such as the birthdays of her three children. But celebrated royal photographer John Swannell says she is denying others the opportunity to make their name.

‘All the work I got with the royals really elevated my career; nowadays, someone like me just won’t have the chance,’ he tells me at a party to celebrate 185 years of Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair, with a special viewing of his work.

‘Those chances should be given to young English photographers.’ But he adds: ‘In some ways, though, Kate is probably right to do it herself. She’s not a great photographer, but she just snaps away, and with kids it’s easier if you know them.’

[From Eden Confidential]

“She’s not a great photographer, but she just snaps away…” LMAO. He’s right though, about everything – Kate’s not a great photographer, but it’s easier to photograph children “if you know them,” AND it would be nice to see Kate the Keen Photographer actually use her position to help out young British photographers on the come-up. I also understand why the Windsors like to keep things “in house” as much as possible too – for years, Princess Margaret’s husband, the Earl of Snowdon, got ALL of the plum royal portrait gigs. William and Kate use Getty photographer Chris Jackson – who is married to one of Kate’s staffers – for almost all of their family photoshoots and curated “event” photos. These people do not like to get out of their comfort zone, especially not with young photographers who might publish unflattering and un-airbrushed photos.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar, Kensington Palace.

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Kate Middleton royals

Princess Kate, sponsor of the HMS Glasgow, met the battleship’s company

princess-kate,-sponsor-of-the-hms-glasgow,-met-the-battleship’s-company

On Thursday, the Princess of Wales had an “event” at Windsor Castle. Considering Kate is now fully doing meet-and-greets and events within Windsor Castle, my guess is that William and Kate were truly measuring the drapes the day after QEII’s death. Kate barely even moved into Adelaide Cottage, and she put the move off so long because the family all had the feeling that QEII would not make it to the end of the year. William and Kate knew that Windsor Castle would be theirs soon enough, and here we are. My theory is that William and Kate will take different wings of the castle, and that Kate will keep up some kind of appearance she sort of still lives in Adelaide Cottage, but not really.

Anyway, this event on Thursday was Kate meeting the HMS Glasgow’s company. The HMS Glasgow is a battleship and Kate was appointed the sponsorship of the big battlegworl last year. It was a weird moment too, because Kate wasn’t actually there when she was appointed the sponsorship. QEII made her take it on and then William accepted it on Kate’s behalf when he was in Scotland (without Kate). I don’t believe the HMS Glasgow is fully functional yet (much like Kate). They’re still building her and making her sea-worthy.

From the airbrushed and hyper-selective photos, I can tell that Kate’s staff just told her to show up at a certain time and she waltzed in, gurned for a few minutes, posed for some photos and then it was off to raid the Royal Collection jewelry.

Photos courtesy of Instagram.

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Kate Middleton Meghan Markle Prince Harry Prince William royals

Nicholl: ‘There’s no real warmth’ between the Sussexes & Waleses

nicholl:-‘there’s-no-real-warmth’-between-the-sussexes-&-waleses

When Prince William invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to go on a brief walkabout outside of Windsor Castle on September 10th, it was a big deal. It was such a big deal that both William and King Charles III wanted credit for it – Charles’s people were briefing the media that he “ordered” William to call Harry and invite him. Meanwhile, William’s people were briefing the media that William alone decided to make the call. For a brief moment, it made William seem diplomatic and conciliatory. It was all for show, of course. It was just a performance for an hour. Nothing substantial changed, but at least we knew that William and Harry could be in the same space briefly without killing each other. Well, Katie Nicholl has some thoughts about that walkabout, what didn’t come next and what it all means.

Queen Elizabeth II’s death was “a missed opportunity” for brothers Prince William and Prince Harry to make peace, says a royal expert.

“I think it’s very sad [that] in the days Harry was here, there was an opportunity given they were just a couple of hundred yards away from each other for a meeting or dinner or gathering of some sort where they could actually just try to thrash things out,” “The New Royals” author Katie Nicholl exclusively tells Page Six.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were in the UK for 11 days after the Queen passed away on Sept. 8 at age 96. During that time, the couple stayed at Frogmore Cottage, not far from Adelaide Cottage where the Prince and Princess of Wales are located.

Nicholl notes that although William “extended the olive branch” by inviting his estranged brother and sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, to join him and wife Kate Middleton on a walkabout outside Windsor Castle, it was not the ice-breaker royal watchers were hoping for.

“When you look closely back on it there’s no real warmth there,” Nicholl opines. “There’s no real coming together, it’s very clear the ‘Fab Four’ are not fab anymore, they were going through the motions. I’ve had it on very good sources that there was no meeting done privately and so yes [there was] a missed opportunity but reflective of how intensely both brothers feel about things.”

Nicholl explains that a détente appears dim as both brothers are digging in their heels.

“William can be very stubborn and hold a grudge,” she says. “Harry is emotional and hotheaded and they’re both very passionate and there’s a lack of understanding on both parts and resentment on both parts and anger on both parts, that hasn’t been able to be placated and worked through.”

[From Page Six]

I actually appreciate the fact that Nicholl says “there’s no real warmth there.” Too many people were like “wow, relations are thawing, maybe something will happen now!” I actually thought William put on a good performance of someone trying to make nice. Harry also made an effort. Meghan seemed terrified that at any moment, William was going to scream at her. And Kate just seemed over it and contemptuous of the whole stunt. Once again, I go back to what Omid Scobie wrote about them just before QEII’s death – Harry wants accountability, William wants an apology. I think it’s more like Harry wants justice and William wants capitulation.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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Kate Middleton King Charles III Prince William royals

Scobie: No plans for an ‘extravagant’ coronation or Prince of Wales investiture

scobie:-no-plans-for-an-‘extravagant’-coronation-or-prince-of-wales-investiture

Since the end of the official mourning period for the Windsors, there’s been a noticeable shift – basically, we’ve only seen King Charles and the new Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales. How long do you think KC3 will be able to keep this up, just keeping the “focus” on himself, his heir and his heir’s wife? Not very long, especially since this family spent the entire month, the entire year and the past four years scapegoating Harry and Meghan for everything. Still, the conversation is about the “slimmed down monarchy” and how there are fewer people in all of these royal residences. Omid Scobie’s Yahoo UK column this week is about how William, Kate and Charles must be smart about excess and the appearance of luxury, ostentation and waste, especially as it appears like the UK is entering a pretty brutal recession:

Little fanfare in Wales: When William and Kate arrived in Anglesey for their first official visit to the country as the newly-minted Prince and Princess of Wales, there was little fanfare as they chatted to locals on the small, rural island they once called home. The day of engagements, Kensington Palace told us, was a chance for the couple to focus on “deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales” after taking on their new titles.

The Prince of Wales investiture: Alongside the visit also came word from officials that William has no plans to carry out the same extravagant investiture his father did when he became the Prince of Wales in 1969. The news was enthusiastically welcomed by people in Wales, who remember all too well the over-the-top ceremony at Caernarfon Castle which saw the Queen place a gold coronet on Charles’ head and drape grand robes around his shoulders. During a time of economic struggles in the country, it was so poorly received that there were protests and even a bomb plot.

Middle class monarchy: Images of Royal Family’s ostentatious display of wealth and power is a moment no one is looking to repeat. And with the UK’s ongoing cost of living crisis—which this week saw the Bank of England warn of a “significant” interest rate rise and the British pound hitting a record low against the US dollar—cutting back on unnecessary frills and faff should be part of a concerted effort to ensure that the monarchy does not seem grossly out of touch.

Slimmed down monarchy: We are only days into a new regency and already that slimmed down “modern” monarchy King Charles III dreamed of creating is becoming a reality. A more nimble line-up with a hard focus on connecting rather than alienating people across the UK. Charles and the rest of the family have the opportunity to truly modernise The Firm if they listen to what the public tells them.

KC3’s coronation: Plans for a “mindful” and “pared down” coronation have long been in the works for the new king, I’m told, which is said to be scheduled for late spring next year. Far from the majestic scenes of Queen Elizabeth II arriving at Westminster Abbey in a golden carriage for a three-hour spectacle (costing £1.57 million—the equivalent of £43 million today), those on various iterations of planning committees for King Charles’ coronation have always discussed the importance of keeping his ceremony simple. And not just for the sake of cost. As a less popular monarch than his mother, the public interest in such an occasion will be far from the nationwide excitement felt when the Imperial State Crown was placed on the head of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Charles has requested some stuff be removed from his coronation: With the country currently on the brink of recession, the optics of anything more than a symbolic swearing-in ceremony would only do harm to any legacy King Charles III hopes to create. “There are many elements that [Charles] himself has requested be removed to ensure that it’s kept simple,” a senior royal source told me earlier this year. “He is aware that it needs to be mindful and in touch.”

[From Yahoo UK]

Scobie also mentions that Kate referenced the “cost of living crisis” while they were in Wales this week. Which, as I said previously, isn’t actually coming across the way they hoped? We know about Kate’s endless new coats, her four homes and the fact that she’s moving into Windsor Castle. Instead of trying to *appear* like they understand the economic realities of modern Britain, perhaps they could actually live less excessive lives? Charles has all of this royal estate now, perhaps it’s time to turn a lot of those palaces and castles into museums? I also wonder if paring down the glamour and excess will leave KC’s coronation looking pretty dull. I mean, he already *owns* the gold carriage. It’s not like he has to buy one. He just has to take it out of storage. Therein lies the rub, though – it’s not as if anyone in this family would actually donate all of the gold carriages and blood diamonds they stole from centuries of pillaging, racism and colonialism. So their solution is “don’t remind people about how much we stole and how much we have.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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Kate Middleton royals

Princess Kate, who has four homes & a castle, spoke about ‘the cost of living crisis’

princess-kate,-who-has-four-homes-&-a-castle,-spoke-about-‘the-cost-of-living-crisis’

The British markets do not like Liz Truss, her government or her financial proposals. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the British currency was in freefall and everything in the British economy seems to be tanking. On Wednesday, the Bank of England began emergency procedures to stabilize the British economy by buying 65 billion pounds worth of bonds. This is on top of the looming energy crisis in the UK and Europe and what seems like a somewhat localized – but still catastrophic – post-Brexit recession in Salt Island. When the new Princess of Wales heard about all of that, she reportedly said “gosh” and “can you test the recession by testing it?” No, what she actually said was deemed “a rare foray into politics.” Because she acknowledged the obvious, that British people are struggling.

The Princess of Wales made a rare foray into politics as she spoke of the need for food banks as millions of families struggle with the cost-of-living crisis. Kate made the comments about the importance of community services during a discussion with volunteers and members of the congregation at St Thomas Church in Swansea – her first visit to Wales since inheriting her new title.

Over the last two years the church has been transformed into a community hub, which includes a food bank, facilities for homeless people, and a not-for-profit café and community training kitchen. The site is also home to the Swansea Baby Basics baby bank, a volunteer-led project that distributes essentials to vulnerable mothers and their newborn babies across the city.

During the visit with husband William, Kate said: ‘With the cost of living crisis, there are a lot of desperate people out there.’

The royal said that the food bank was a ‘lifeline to so many people’ particularly after the pandemic and amid the soaring cost of living.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Given the number of visits and conversations that take place during these, we are unable to verify specific comments that are reported upon.’

Chatting with a group of elderly worshippers, she added: ‘What’s so wonderful about this place is that there is such a good mixture of young and old. It’s extraordinary. You have 90-year-olds as well as youngsters. It’s a real family organisation. We need places like this to bring people together, places where people can come and engage. It’s what we need post Covid and with the cost of living crisis. Lots of people are too scared to come an engage so it’s wonderful that you go out to see them too.’

[From The Daily Mail]

The Mail’s headline was “Princess Kate wades into politics.” Imagine if the Duchess of Sussex had mentioned something about the “cost of living crisis” though – the Mail’s banner headline would have been “Woke American Lectures Welsh About Recession Then Returns to Her 74-Bathroomed, $92 million Montecito Mansion!” Because it’s Kate, none of the coverage even dares to mention the fact that this woman already has FOUR homes and she will soon move into Windsor Castle, which has over 1,000 rooms. She was literally wearing a new coat too! And she’s been dripping in QEII’s pearls and diamonds from the very second QEII died. At some point, hopefully very soon, people will start to question this very gross arrangement.

Now, all that being said, I don’t even believe Kate said that sh-t. She never speaks like that at events or during walkabouts. Usually she’s just talking about her kids or how she wants another baby. These quotes feel planted by KP to make her seem “in touch” with the peasantry briefly before she literally took a private helicopter back to her castle.

Another thing… they visited a baby bank and yet again, Kate brought nothing. No baby clothes, no diapers, no baby slippers, nothing. “With the cost of living crisis, royals can’t just give things away to peasants!”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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Kate Middleton Meghan Markle royals

Duchess Meghan & Kate didn’t speak at all during the UK mourning period

duchess-meghan-&-kate-didn’t-speak-at-all-during-the-uk-mourning-period

The mood between the Duchess of Sussex and the wider Windsor klan was set as Queen Elizabeth II took a turn for the worse on what would be her final day. Charles called Harry and berated him, telling him that Meghan was not family and Meghan was not welcome at Balmoral. Then two days later, Meghan was “included” in a walkabout outside Windsor Castle and William and Kate barely looked at her or engaged with her at all. That kept happening – Meghan would be included in the procession and the funeral, but the Windsors all made a point of being seen to “freeze her out.” Apparently, that was exactly what happened behind the scenes too – sources say that Meghan and Kate didn’t exchange words at all.

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton did not exchange a word in the ten days preceding the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth, reports claimed Wednesday, and Harry’s truce with his brother will collapse if Harry presses ahead with plans to publish a memoir.

Sources told respected royal correspondent Russell Myers of the Daily Mirror that despite careful attempts to portray a united front, including a public walkabout by Harry, Meghan, William, and Kate at Windsor Castle, there would be no reconciliation until all Harry’s “cards are on the table,” and the book is either published or scrapped.

A source described as a “royal insider” told Myers, “The family continue to be in mourning and are now finally being allowed to grieve for the queen away from the gaze of millions. However, any talk of a truce between the Prince (William) and the Duke (Harry) would only be temporary. There is still a serious amount of distrust in the air and there hasn’t been any cause for that to change.”

Referring to Harry’s memoir, the release date of which is unknown, but which may now be delayed from its originally scheduled publication date of “late 2022,” the source added, “The feeling is very much that there is little point in pursuing a repair in relations until all the cards are on the table.”

Myers added that sources said Kate and Meghan were “not known” to have exchanged words throughout the whole period that the Sussexes were in the U.K. Relations between the two tanked after Meghan accused Kate of making her cry at a bridesmaid fitting ahead of her wedding, but said that press reports subsequently twisted the incident to say it was Meghan who had made Kate cry, and that the palace refused to back her up.

[From The Daily Beast]

Hint: the relations between Meghan and Kate didn’t “tank” after the Oprah interview. Kate had already gone berserk on Meghan just before the Sussex wedding, Kate had already made Meghan cry, Kate and her dreadful mother had already launched a smear campaign about Meghan and on and on. Despite all of that, Meghan is perfectly capable of being professional, kind and even conciliatory towards the family. She just didn’t get the chance because they were so busy being icy a–holes. They just f–king hate her.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

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Kate Middleton Prince William royals

A small child waited four hours in the cold to hand flowers to Princess Kate

a-small-child-waited-four-hours-in-the-cold-to-hand-flowers-to-princess-kate

Here are more photos of the Prince and Princess of Wales in Anglesey on Tuesday, their first trip to Wales with their new titles. They kept everything pretty low-key, just visiting a boat and doing a little walkabout. Upon their arrival – which happened after noon – both Kate and William knelt down to speak to a little Welsh boy who was waiting to give Kate flowers. The catch is, he had been waiting hours. Apparently, someone arranged for him to start standing there at 8:30 am. The child was shivering in the cold for something like four hours, waiting for Will & Kate? Yikes.

As I’ve been reading the excerpts from Katie Nicholl’s The New Royals and Valentine Low’s Courtiers, I’ve been thinking a lot about the incompetence of Kensington Palace staffers. We’ve seen that in a million ways over the years, from Kate’s Five Big Questions to her whole stupid “Early Years” initiative, to William’s boredom with Earthshot, and on and on. The staff can’t even make adequate and appropriate arrangements for a small child to hand Kate flowers. They organized the Caribbean Flop Tour and they really thought it was going to land. In Low’s book, there doesn’t seem to be much mention of the actual flaws within KP’s staff and why that might be. Probably because KP’s staffers are Low’s sources.

Anyway, just a reminder that it’s kind of weird that the new Prince and Princess of Wales are likely keeping their rogue’s gallery of morons, sycophants and embiggeners on staff, and they probably aren’t taking on new people who would actually challenge them to do better and work harder.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.