I won’t write about fashion trends of the royals. There are enough sites out there that analyse their fashion decisions. I enjoy keeping up with the British Royal Family because I don’t think there is enough focus or attention given to the fact that they are human beings. I see complaints and opinions from people online who think nothing of criticising them over one small matter or another.
The Duchess of Cambridge is Patron of eleven charities/organisations.
Now maybe it’s because I’m an American. The US media tend to focus on the shallower aspects of the lives of celebrities. And to us, all royals are celebrities. Is that right? No, but we don’t have “royalty” here. The closest thing to it are celebrities.
I follow many people on social media who seem to comment only on what the Duchess of Cambridge wears or how lovely and poised she is. They say what great fashion sense and style she has, how she would handle herself in particular situations, etc. There’s more to Catherine than what she wears.
As a society, we seem to be so enthralled with her outer appearance and conduct. Like she’s some little jewel or ornament on display for everyone to pick apart and examine. People go crazy when new photos are leaked. And if they don’t see new footage of the Duchess and her family every so often, they complain like they’re lives are going to end. A prime example of this was the great baby wait before the birth of Princess Charlotte.
All this royal buzz leads me to wonder how the Royal Family must feel. How would you like it if everyone in the world were watching you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, cameras and mobiles at the ready? Would you enjoy having your picture snapped, even during an intimate, private moment? At some point, wouldn’t all the attention start to drive you crazy? I bet you’d love to run and hide just to get some privacy. The royals can’t. They can try, but there always seems to be someone watching them.
I empathise with Kate and her situation. Some might wonder why. After all, she lives in a palace and is married to a Prince, has access to any fashion designer she wants, and has her every whim and need to be met. There’s more to life than material things.
The public scrutiny comes with the territory of being married to a royal. However, the Duchess of Cambridge seems to be held to a higher standard and criticised more so than other members. She appears to be held under a harsher microscope of public opinion and media, and for that, I don’t think it’s fair.
Beneath her stylish appearance is a woman trying to be a wife and mother and to lead as normal life as she can. Like all women with children, she has to juggle her priorities. I applaud her and William for taking their family to Anmer Hall to give them as normal of a childhood as possible away from the glare of the paparazzi. The first five years of a child’s life are the most important. It’s when they form bonds and soak up everything around them. As we’ve seen, Prince George is quite the curious little monkey.
The Duchess may not have nearly as many public engagements as Her Majesty or Prince Phillip. I’ve also read commentary on this as well. But again, her family is a priority, not the public. The public clamour for pictures of her and her family, follow them around and have to be warned by the Royal Press Office to stay away. I’m not excluding myself here. I hold an interest in the Royal Family, but I’m not obsessed with them as I think some are.
I’m certain it’s not all roses and champagne and designer clothes. Everything they do and say is picked apart and consumed. Rumours and lies are written about them in dozens of tabloids worldwide. They trust few. And I imagine having to be ‘on’ each and every moment you’re in public can fray at the nerves of even the most amiable. Kate handles every engagement and event with grace and sincerity. She has the admiration and respect of people the world over.
The public’s interest in the Cambridges won’t wane anytime soon. One hopes that Prince George and Princess Charlotte continue to be protected by their parents as much as possible. And even though their children will inherit the duties and responsibilities their parents and family carry, I hope they won’t feel burdened by them. Because despite my grievances with the public’s treatment of the royals, I do understand they are the next generation of Windsors. But come on, beneath their titles and everything that comes with it, they are still human beings who deserve respect and privacy.
I have heard foreign media is the primary cause of disturbing the royals’ privacy. And from my understanding, British media is restricted as to what they can post.
How do the majority of the British people view the royals? I’d love to have some discussion about this.
Contribute your views in the comments box below.
photo credit: Royal Navy Media Archive via Flickr
Well said. I think people don’t know how difficult it is to be in such a position, and treating her like merchandise will not help. Thankfully Kate has her priorities right and has a husband who supports what is important in life.
Hear Hear!!! well said and yes, I concur totally. They are only human when all is said and done. However, sadly many British people have a certain amount of or total resent of the ‘Royal’ family. It seems they feel that because they are the ‘Royals’ and get ‘paid’ they therefore have to ‘put up with’ the scrutiny….after all the live in a palace don’t they? Well I find it sickening. I adore the Royal family, the Queen in particular and certainly Diana’s boys and now Kate and the babies…..but I don’t hanker after their ever move, I don’t rush out to buy the latest dress Kate wore (I’m too old for a start, but I didn’t do it with Diana’s latest dress either)…it’s just downright weird. I enjoy seeing the family on the balcony during Trooping the Colour and I love seeing the Queen in public, but she was thrust into the role by hundreds of years of tradition and heritage….not because she decided she wanted to be queen and demanded the job….and the same goes for her children and their children…they didn’t ask for the role, but have been born into it. I loath the negative sentiment that demands because they live in fancy houses, drive in fancy cars and get to wear designer clothes that they should then be okay with being picked part and critised for everything they do. It’s such a shallow society that would consider that. I wouldn’t want their lives for all the money in the world…their lives are never their own. Personally I think Kate is doing a fantastic job, and wherever you see her she always has a smile and like Diana before her a kind word for people she meets. Give the girl some credit. She may well have married into the Royal family, but she doesn’t deserve the nastiness and the picking apart. Leave them be and bravo to William for whisking them off and insisting they have a private life.
love the royals. they are way way better than the xxxxxxx politicians you see around. surely they know the general public do love them for just too many reasons
They do and they block ones who speak filling that not same as there if u speak out.. But thats there right as it there page.. I do think prince willaim n his bride are most adorable.. They marryed for true love.. Queen must be very proud of him…
I agree that the press can be too critical of Kate and the other royals at times, especially their overuse of the word “recycled” whenever she wears anything a second time. But I have another bone to pick with the press about their coverage of the Duchess of Cambridge.
I wish they’d stop referring to her as Kate Middleton. She stopped using her maiden name the day she said “I do” in Westminster Abbey. She’s married now, and this change in status should be reflected when articles about her are written.
Some people think the press does this so people will instantly know who the article’s about as soon as they see the headline. Everyone knows that royal stories will always draw lots of readers, and publishers can charge more for advertising because of this.
I understand this, but couldn’t they call her “Duchess Kate?” It’s short, catchy, and wouldn’t confuse anyone who saw it in print. And it’s far more respectful and appropriate when the subject of the story is the future Queen of England.
Am I being unreasonable or do I have a legitimate grievence?
No you are not being unreasonable. I think it is a great idea. However, currently she is the future Princess of Wales rather than Queen. She has some way to go before she will be that.
The Royal Family are one of this country’s biggest assets. People come from all over the world to see Buckingham Palace, Changing of the guard, etc etc and we should treasure them accordingly. The new generation of Royals are well loved by everyone because they have always tried to be seen as more open and modern and have at times disregarded old ways to this end. I think they are entitled to their privacy when in their own homes and I for one do not approve of ‘snooping’ on them. Yes, I am a Royalist and proud of it!
I envy you for living in the UK. It’s always been my dearest wish to visit Britain (particularly London), but it’s very unlikely I’ll ever get to make the trip.
I freely admit I’d head for all the usual tourist spots, like Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, Kensington Palace, the Tower of London, and of course the Changing of the Guard. If I got lucky enough to see one of the royals, that would be a memory to cherish for the rest of my life.
Maybe we could switch locations for a week or two if you ever fancy a holiday in Atlanta!
I found it so refreshing that yes Kate may have designer dresses made for her it is her habit to wear them more than once. She had maybe two maternity coats made and wore them on a regular basis. I don’t know if this is rubbing off on the Queen but she also the other day had on an outfit she had worn before. She looked lovely. I Ricky feel the same as you do. She is no longer Kate Middleton, just as Diana was not called Diana Spencer. They call Camilla only the Duchess of Cornwall so doesn’t Kate deserve just as much. People find it hard to call her just the Duchess of Cambridge or Catherine but Duchess Kate is a warm name. However when she becames the Princess of Wales she should be called Catherine the Princess of Wales.. They called Diana Lady Di as a term of affecion but as the Princess of Wales she should have been called Diana. By her family the Queen’t nickname was Lilibet but that was only by family can you imagine Queen Lilibet lol She was Princess Elizabeth and Princes Margaret Rose. I like you am very particular and the Cambrigde name is vey high and hasn’t been used for years. It’s of the highest honuor as a Duchess.
The Queen has always recycled. She wears the same highly polished shoes until they fall apart. She is thrifty by nature. I wish I could show you some of my many old Royal Year Books which show clearly that hats and coats (in particular), are still worn as many as ten years later but with new buttons, or braid and hats retrimmed with flowers or feathers. HM did not learn anything from Catherine, She wrote the book. AND she has passed on her thrift to Princess Anne who, having retained her slim figure is famous for digging out clothes as much as thirty years old as was seen at Ascot this year and on an several earlier occasions.
I rather wish the media, including this member, would stop referring to the Duchess as Kate. It is not her name and she has never been called that by her family or her friends. To call her (Kate) Middleton is worse. She hasn’t been that for a few years now.
Well that’s plainly untrue. She’s been called ‘Kate’ and ‘Catherine’ interchangeably by family and friends for years. And we of course don’t use Middleton.
At the cool end of town she still rocks up as “K-Middy”.
That’s very disrespectful.
Think you ll find Kate is a tough little cookie ..she ll be fine
I myself am 44 yrs old and have followed the royals ever since diana came into the picture. .i watched the wedding so very early one morning with my gma & was hooked ever since….i cannot lie i am on the borderline of obsession with the family but would never mean any harm…im fascinated with the way they carry themselves ..dress..live…etc. i daydream for hours over being able to live in the castles and homes they do…. i believe tho that i was born in the wrong country….im fascinated by everything Brittish really…i guess its just human nature to wonder how the other half lives….but i do at the same time understand the need for privacy…because i am intrigued does not mean i need to know their every move…i have made a few friends in England and hope to some day soon come visit!!!
Well, sorry to disagree. I am The No.1 Royal fan. They have been a major part of my life and I have followed ‘every highway’ with them. When I was a small child the Queen’s parents were revered and loved, as are HM The Queen and the Duke. They are rightly one of our biggest assets. But the Queen’s grandsons & daughter-in-law are not yet pulling their weight. William is simply NOT going to get the long years of apprenticeship to learn what is required to be a Monarch, that his father The Prince of Wales has had. William and Catherine Cambridge appear to want the royal life, living and status without the work and It is high time they started learning the ‘job’ rather than just turn up for sporting events that suit with the ‘in laws’ in tow which is more or less what they have done this past year and a half. Privacy in their own home YES but come out and do some work as well!