Weirdly, there doesn’t seem to be a real push to turn the Duchess of Cambridge’s Tiny Happy People endorsement into a week-long embiggening campaign. That’s what I expected, because historically that’s what happens whenever Kate does one event: it becomes a week-long story about how hard-working she is, how she’s finding her voice, how this gentle, shy baby is finally coming out of her shell. The only thing I can really see so far is A) a million articles about Kate’s “bronde” summer highlights (it honestly just looks like she got a too-brassy wiglet) and B) this suspicious Grazia piece about how Kate and William are proud of their lockdown work even as Prince Andrew and the Sussexes get most of the headlines. Some highlights:
The Cambridges have been working while the family seems to be in disarray: ‘It’s a lot to take on,’ a royal insider tells Grazia. ‘William and Kate have spent months doing what they can to be present, supportive representatives of the family, and they’re proud of what they’ve achieved in such strange circumstances. So it must be frustrating to have that work, and the good work of other members of the family, overshadowed. They’ll keep going, of course – Kate is made of steel – but there is a definite sense that they are taking one step forwards and two steps back.’
Their active efforts are part of a plan set by Charles. ‘The generations above are getting quite a bit older,’ says Victoria Arbiter, royal commentator for CNN and author of Queen Elizabeth II. ‘And Harry and Meghan were very much part of Charles’s vision for the future. They have left a gulf of work that needs filling.’ Towards the end of last year, it was reported that Charles wished his sons and their families to be part of a smaller, core royal family, seen as a modernising move, and he was alleged to be ‘furious’ when Harry and Meghan’s news impacted his plans. ‘Now this slimline monarchy is even slimmer,’ Victoria says. ‘When you think of the plethora of engagements that the royal family undertakes, all of that is going to be on the shoulders of William, Kate, Charles and Camilla. It’s a huge amount of work. William and Kate have their patronages, there are military engagements, garden parties, the Commonwealth, investitures and regular engagements.’
Kate is keen and ready: ‘It’s hard work,’ the source tells Grazia. ‘But Catherine thrives under pressure. She is organised to a fault, and loves to be busy. I honestly don’t think she’s ever been happier, and she’s really pleased to be taking charge. She’s had the vote of confidence from Charles, and she’s able to set her own path.’
It’s not about actually doing lots of work though: ‘She and the younger generation are embarking on their official life in a different fashion,’ says Victoria. ‘The more senior members of the family have upwards of 500 organisations with which they’re involved. William and Kate are streamlining that focus: they’re concentrating on issues that matter. So when Kate is promoting her early childhood programme, she’s doing it from a place where she’s spoken to the experts and completely immersed herself in what needs to be done.’
[From Grazia]
I wonder how much longer William and Kate can play this particular con, the “we have so much work now that H&M left and we’re incredibly keen to do this work but you know that we’re not going to work anywhere near as much as you expect right?” How much longer can Will & Kate play this game? “William and Kate are streamlining that focus: they’re concentrating on issues that matter. So when Kate is promoting her early childhood programme, she’s doing it from a place where she’s spoken to the experts and completely immersed herself in what needs to be done.” LMAO. She spent eight years “immersing” herself in early-childhood development and then the result of all of this painstaking self-education was the vanity exercise of the five-question Struggle Survey, which was promptly abandoned. The truth is, much of royal work IS busy work, but before William and Kate, the busy work was never hyped to make people believe that princesses, duchesses and countesses were suddenly supreme experts in whatever field because of their “immersion” in behind-the-scenes studies.
Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace.
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