What the what is going on with the Royals

[essnce629]

I just think they said she'd be out of commission until after Easter, so there should have been no speculation until after that point. If she was still MIA after that, then that's different. And she was seen over 2 weeks ago, long before Easter, when TMZ got those photos of her and her mom in the car, so I don't see the point of the big uproar.

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[gatorsmom]

The family is dysfunctional, with one brother fleeing and one being stuck. I see this more as what the consorts to the males in the family deal with.

Just to be clear, I don't blame her one bit. But I also don't blame the nebulous public for "doing this to Kate" as much as I see the whole idea of the monarchy needing everyone to be first a subject to the King, then a person. Sure, the rest of the country doesn't see it that way, but that is how the family unit is organized. I just think it's a lot more complicated that the mean press forced her to announce early.

There are some interesting thoughts in here. I don’t think their family is all that more dysfunctional than mine, my IL, and pretty much everyone else I know. There is always some drama in every family. I think the public tends to think that since they have servants, palaces, and money that should solve all their problems but history has shown that’s definitely not the case. I think if you look more closely you’ll notice that it’s not the female consorts who get the raw deal as anyone who marries into the family but also the second in-line. I always felt a little bad for Prince Philip and the spotlight he was in. I think the press leaves Princess Anne’s Dh alone now but I’m not sure about when they were first married.

As for the spares in the family, I think they get the worst deal. George VI (Queen E’s dad) was the spare until his brother abdicated and I’m guessing his happiness wasn’t a priority (based on portrayals of his father’s temperament and his stutter). Princess Margaret had a rather sad life too. And I think Harry’s has been so difficult. He doesn’t seem happy now in America either. All the press photos make him look so sad and lost. That could just be my perception but I don’t often see him smiling.

It’s not just the British family having problems with the spare. The Danish royal family just got through a mess similar to Harry’s. The Crown Prince Fred’s brother Joachim took his family and moved to Washington DC after his mother, the Queen refused to give him a more defined and active role in the monarchy and stripped his kids of their titles.

I just think they said she'd be out of commission until after Easter, so there should have been no speculation until after that point. If she was still MIA after that, then that's different. And she was seen over 2 weeks ago, long before Easter, when TMZ got those photos of her and her mom in the car, so I don't see the point of the big uproar.

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I agree with this. I think the British press are particularly good at finding ways to sell their newspapers. This has all been a tempest in a teapot. I feel so sorry for Kate and her family. But my goodness she is handling it with grace and dignity.

[MSWR0319]

I realize that's going to be the narrative this point on. But the reality is IF the PR had been handled better and the Royal Family didn't have a very torturous relationship with the press she would not have been forced into the corner. They could have followed a pretty standard playbook, kept this under wraps while disclosing just the right amount to keep most people but the crazy conspiracy people out of the nitty gritty of it. I've always been interested in the story from the point of view of the intersection of the monarchy and the modern era. I don't know how much of this was the timing of the King's own medical issues and how Kate's concerns and family issues were always going to come in after him in the minds of those in the Royal Household. (I can completely see people being concerned that Kate would get more sympathy than Charles.) The family is dysfunctional, with one brother fleeing and one being stuck. I see this more as what the consorts to the males in the family deal with.

Just to be clear, I don't blame her one bit. But I also don't blame the nebulous public for "doing this to Kate" as much as I see the whole idea of the monarchy needing everyone to be first a subject to the King, then a person. Sure, the rest of the country doesn't see it that way, but that is how the family unit is organized. I just think it's a lot more complicated that the mean press forced her to announce early.

I tend to agree. I think her PR team did her wrong. I think had they said "abdominal surgery followed by a lengthy recovery that will remove her from the public eye" or something to that effect, it may not have been as much of an issue. From there, they could have released the cancer diagnosis once they felt the kids were well informed. I think using the word routine followed by no one seeing her for months, was an issue. A routine surgery doesn't make you disappear for months. And her stepping back from duty doesn't equate to not seeing her ever. So I think it just needed explained differently and maybe she wouldn't have had to come forward before she was ready. Yes, there will always be speculation. They are the Royal family, and like it or not there will always be in interest in what they are doing, even if it's something private to them. So their PR team needs to be prepared to handle it better.

[dogmom]

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It’s not just the British family having problems with the spare. The Danish royal family just got through a mess similar to Harry’s. The Crown Prince Fred’s brother Joachim took his family and moved to Washington DC after his mother, the Queen refused to give him a more defined and active role in the monarchy and stripped his kids of their titles.

I think the British Royal Family is in a unique situation because the last monarch reigned for so freaking long. We the tend to only remember the positives of Queen Elizabeth (although Ireland might think otherwise) but there were many things she could have done better to move the monarchy forward in time. I look at King Charles and can’t stop thinking “That man would die in the wilds of the 21c if people didn’t help him.” I do think that Kate is handling this better than Dianna because she was older when she got married and had a functional family of origin. Of course it could be worse. Japan’s Emperor almost went unmarried because no Japanese woman wanted to take up the thankless role of his wife. It is reported it was only the intervention of his mother, who was driven mentally ill from the machinations of the court, with his then GF now wife, that the marriage happened.

[bisous]

I tend to agree. I think her PR team did her wrong. I think had they said "abdominal surgery followed by a lengthy recovery that will remove her from the public eye" or something to that effect, it may not have been as much of an issue. From there, they could have released the cancer diagnosis once they felt the kids were well informed. I think using the word routine followed by no one seeing her for months, was an issue. A routine surgery doesn't make you disappear for months. And her stepping back from duty doesn't equate to not seeing her ever. So I think it just needed explained differently and maybe she wouldn't have had to come forward before she was ready. Yes, there will always be speculation. They are the Royal family, and like it or not there will always be in interest in what they are doing, even if it's something private to them. So their PR team needs to be prepared to handle it better.

Honestly, the statement that Kensington Palace released was almost exactly that. I think that's why people who have followed her were perplexed that people were surprised that she was not in public. Like we were genuinely confused over the furor. She stated she'd be recovering privately until after Easter and that was before she even knew she had cancer. Guess what? She had abdominal surgery and was recovering...then she discovered she had cancer, which she then revealed and it isn't even Easter yet. I think the press is primarily responsible for this whole blowup but I don't think I'm quite ready to let the rank and file people off the hook for thoroughly enjoying the conspiracy theories. I wonder if some of it is prompted by contempt for her personally? Like I was appalled from the beginning but I'm a fan. Would I be as careful with someone I'm not as enamored with? I hope I would be, but maybe not? I guess it has helped me to take a look at my own behavior more carefully and hopefully be better about not buying into unsubstantiated rumors.

[MSWR0319]

Honestly, the statement that Kensington Palace released was almost exactly that. I think that's why people who have followed her were perplexed that people were surprised that she was not in public. Like we were genuinely confused over the furor. She stated she'd be recovering privately until after Easter and that was before she even knew she had cancer. Guess what? She had abdominal surgery and was recovering...then she discovered she had cancer, which she then revealed and it isn't even Easter yet. I think the press is primarily responsible for this whole blowup but I don't think I'm quite ready to let the rank and file people off the hook for thoroughly enjoying the conspiracy theories. I wonder if some of it is prompted by contempt for her personally? Like I was appalled from the beginning but I'm a fan. Would I be as careful with someone I'm not as enamored with? I hope I would be, but maybe not? I guess it has helped me to take a look at my own behavior more carefully and hopefully be better about not buying into unsubstantiated rumors.

It was close, but not explicit enough. Working with the public on numerous projects over the years, I can tell you that they need it spelled out for them precisely. Words matter. So I think leaving out the word routine and explaining that she wouldn't have been see at all, may have helped the situation. You tell me someone is going in for a routine surgery, I don't expect them to disappear for 3 months. That's what sparked the curiosity. I expected someone who had a routine surgery to still be taking their kids to school, out for a stroll in public, etc. Just not doing their royal work. If you tell me, we won't be seeing them for 3 months due to recovery, end of curiosity. I don't think this was sparked by anyone disliking her. She's a public person. The public will be curious and conspiracy theories will fly. Unfortunately, that's part of the job.

[bisous]

It was close, but not explicit enough. Working with the public on numerous projects over the years, I can tell you that they need it spelled out for them precisely. Words matter. So I think leaving out the word routine and explaining that she wouldn't have been see at all, may have helped the situation. You tell me someone is going in for a routine surgery, I don't expect them to disappear for 3 months. That's what sparked the curiosity. I expected someone who had a routine surgery to still be taking their kids to school, out for a stroll in public, etc. Just not doing their royal work. If you tell me, we won't be seeing them for 3 months due to recovery, end of curiosity. I don't think this was sparked by anyone disliking her. She's a public person. The public will be curious and conspiracy theories will fly. Unfortunately, that's part of the job.

We're going to have to agree to disagree about the wording because I maintain that it is very clear and her recovery followed exactly the pattern I expected from the initial announcement. I'm glad you don't think it is due to people disliking her because I think she's great. Maybe it is "part of the job" but I guess I wish it wasn't. I don't see why it has to be.

[westwoodmom04]

Honestly, the statement that Kensington Palace released was almost exactly that. I think that's why people who have followed her were perplexed that people were surprised that she was not in public. Like we were genuinely confused over the furor. She stated she'd be recovering privately until after Easter and that was before she even knew she had cancer. Guess what? She had abdominal surgery and was recovering...then she discovered she had cancer, which she then revealed and it isn't even Easter yet. I think the press is primarily responsible for this whole blowup but I don't think I'm quite ready to let the rank and file people off the hook for thoroughly enjoying the conspiracy theories. I wonder if some of it is prompted by contempt for her personally? Like I was appalled from the beginning but I'm a fan. Would I be as careful with someone I'm not as enamored with? I hope I would be, but maybe not? I guess it has helped me to take a look at my own behavior more carefully and hopefully be better about not buying into unsubstantiated rumors.

I think that would have been enough if they then didn’t outright release or not disavow three pictures purporting to be her which were either not her, or heavily manipulated.