Royal reporters desperately want to talk about the Princess of Wales’s absence from Prince William’s NYC trip, and her upcoming absence from his Singapore trip. There are two concurrent lines of gossip. One is that William doesn’t want to be anywhere near his wife these days and he ordered her to stay away so she wouldn’t make an ass out of herself overseas. The second line of gossip is that Kate is Forever Lazy, too lazy to actually do an odd event here or these outside of a 30-mile zone around Adelaide Cottage. Both versions have some truth to them, imo. Well, Kate and her mother heard about all of this Singapore gossip and they want us to know that Kate is absolutely NOT lazy. No mention of what William wants though…
Friends of Kate Middleton have hit back at anonymous suggestions that she should be doing more foreign trips as part of her remit as Princess of Wales, saying the fact that she is widely considered one of the most popular members of the family shows that the public support her focus on raising her young family. A friend of Kate’s told The Daily Beast that the accusations were “absurd.”
Accusations of shirking official duties have long dogged both William and Kate, and surfaced again over the summer when William failed to attend the final of the women’s soccer World Cup in Australia. Now the suggestion has been aired again, but specifically in relation to Kate, in an item in the Daily Mail’s usually well-briefed Ephraim Hardcastle column (Hardcastle is a fictional byline and the column is usually written by an editor based on newsroom gossip and in-house tips).
A source close to Kate told The Daily Beast: “If the accusation is that Kate isn’t puling her weight, that is absurd and everyone who knows them knows it. It is not exactly a state secret that she has three children aged 10, 8 and 5 on whom the future of the monarchy depends. She works incredibly hard. They have had this type of criticism from the press before and I’m sure they will have it again. It’s water off a duck’s back. Real people understand that you have to prioritize your children at that age, and you can’t both just go flying off to New York at the drop of a hat. The fact that they both consistently receive very high approval ratings shows that the public get it, even if the Daily Mail wants to find fault.”
Oh, Carole was BIG MAD. Carole – or someone a lot like her – was screaming down the phone at Tom Sykes. Nothing says “it’s water off a duck’s back” like furiously briefing the Daily Beast’s Royalist columnist at the merest hint of behind-the-scenes drama. As for the Hardcastle column in the Mail… they didn’t exactly say that Kate was too lazy to go to Singapore (although it was implied), but the main thrust was that the Foreign Office and the government wanted Kate to travel more, especially with the kids, but she was refusing or William was refusing. At some point, we’re going to need an answer about who decided that Kate wasn’t going to Singapore. Also: “It is not exactly a state secret that she has three children aged 10, 8 and 5 on whom the future of the monarchy depends.” Oh, honey. It reminds me of that shady Tatler story calling her “the kingmaker.”
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales visit Aberavon Leisure & Fitness Centre in Port Talbot, Wales Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Port Talbot, Wales, United Kingdom When: 28 Feb 2023 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE** 
The Princess of Wales, Patron of The Forward Trust, pictured during a visit to HMP High Down in Surrey. The Forward Trust charity helps those in the criminal justice system to manage and recover from addiction. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 12 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** 
The Princess of Wales, Patron of The Forward Trust, pictured during a visit to HMP High Down in Surrey. The Forward Trust charity helps those in the criminal justice system to manage and recover from addiction. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 12 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
The Prince and Princess of Wales during their visit to the We Are Farming Minds Charity at Kings Pitt Farm in Hereford. Featuring: Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Hereford, United Kingdom When: 14 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** 
The Princess of Wales during her visit to Streets of Growth, a not-for-profit youth intervention charity in east London which is working to transform the lives of young people at risk of becoming trapped in a cycle of isolation, exploitation, violence and criminality. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 19 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** 
The Princess of Wales takes part in a mental health podcast during her visit to Streets of Growth, a not-for-profit youth intervention charity in east London that is working to transform the lives of young people at risk of becoming trapped in a cycle of isolation, exploitation, violence, and criminality. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 19 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
The Princess of Wales visits AW Hainsworth in Leeds, a family-owned heritage textile mill which was established in 1783 and manufactures British woollen cloth, high-performing technical textiles, and iconic fabrics. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Leeds, United Kingdom When: 26 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** 
The Princess of Wales visits AW Hainsworth in Leeds, a family-owned heritage textile mill which was established in 1783 and manufactures British woollen cloth, high-performing technical textiles, and iconic fabrics. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Leeds, United Kingdom When: 26 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWtnaoF1e8%2BroKeblajAoLfArZysl5antqa6w6yWmqqVlMOmvtiYrKmrlamso8W%2BrZ%2Bel5uWwaaryKyWraeflLmixtiYq6iXpKeut7HLmJicm6WorrW1zqeqaA%3D%3D