Brit Royalty - Author Tells it Like it Is and....

[debrand]

You guys would love my job. I work for a heritage charity at a stately home once occupied by a Lord. The current Queen and her sister visited as children and carved their initials onto one of the window panes. I feel I am upholding my republican views by helping 'ordinary people' get to see what only a priviledged few once saw. Plus it is a really cool place to work!

I want your job. :)

[yewchapel]

Hmm, well I can't speak for everywhere in the UK, but in my area, which is I'll admit a staunch socialist republic area, that wouldn't make a blind bit of difference. It isn't how nice or how horrible they are. It's the whole establishment. It's the very idea that these people, who by nothing more than luck of birth, are in a position where they are fed, clothed and housed in the ultimate in luxury, off the backs of the people in the UK. In essence they are the ultimate welfare claimants.

That's my opinion too (although I live in a very royalist area outside of term time!). I like the present Queen as a person, but I'm still opposed to the monarchy because it's an inherently unfair system, not because of the personality of the person involved.

[Loveday]

I want your job. :)

*drools* Me, too! That sounds like a fantastic job! :)

Actually, my dreamiest of dream jobs is the one Lucy Worsley has--chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces. She kind of gets to do what I've always wanted to do, 'wander' around places like Hampton Court and 'play' with all those amazing treasures (I realise it's not all glamour and fun, hence the quote marks!). I stumbled upon some of her TV shows on YouTube back in the autumn, and have been green with jealousy ever since! :lol:

[constantgardener]

*drools* Me, too! That sounds like a fantastic job! :)

Actually, my dreamiest of dream jobs is the one Lucy Worsley has--chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces. She kind of gets to do what I've always wanted to do, 'wander' around places like Hampton Court and 'play' with all those amazing treasures (I realise it's not all glamour and fun, hence the quote marks!). I stumbled upon some of her TV shows on YouTube back in the autumn, and have been green with jealousy ever since! :lol:

I don't actually go inside the house much as my work is more to do with the gardens. But occasionally I have to go across the estate before any visitors are about and get to walk up the drive on my own pretending I live there :lol: .

[WonderingInWA]

OMG. I lived in London for awhile many years ago and am fascinated by the culture and history. I have never heard of Lucy Worsley but am just now watching the first of the bathroom episodes on You Tube. Well, I know what I'll be watching the rest of the day while my kids are gone...

[Maul the Koala]

Well, they are doing a damned good job at making her public persona as plastic and characterless as humanly possible!

I admit it, the Duchess annoys me to no ends, she is an educated, supposedly funny and intelligent woman yet she is never heard saying anything and she has chosen/been made to adopt the most boringly stereotypical way of doing the whole "princess-thing". She has the ability to reach and influence potentially millions of people and she choses to say exactly nothing! She might as well be a mute!

Hillary Mantel's essay however was beautiful and poignant and to the point, and I predict that it will become a classic in it's genre. Oh, to be able to handle language like that!

Kate doesn't have a great track record of actually working (I think she worked seven months in total before she married William). They both get to take all sorts of private vacations in a month that most of their subjects only dream of. I'm highly critical of the two of them. Kate had ten years as the girlfriend. The engagement was on the horizon when I was in London, a full year before William proposed. There's been plenty of time to polish their image prior to the wedding and for them to be out doing speaking engagements among other things now. The lack of 'work' the two of them do for the Royal family is utterly ridiculous and whomever is enabling them in the family should be ashamed.

[tropaka]

To give Will props, doesn't he work as a search and rescue/military helicopter pilot?

[J'ean Skirt]

To give Will props, doesn't he work as a search and rescue/military helicopter pilot?

He does. He's stationed near my m-i-l and climbs at the local walls with them. They keep it fairly low-key, but he has been involved in multiple search and rescues in north wales.

As an American married into a british family, I can see some benefit to having someone who cares about what happens in more than the next 4 years. Sometimes I think a little bit of monarchy and long term thinking would significantly improve the US.

[Loveday]

OMG. I lived in London for awhile many years ago and am fascinated by the culture and history. I have never heard of Lucy Worsley but am just now watching the first of the bathroom episodes on You Tube. Well, I know what I'll be watching the rest of the day while my kids are gone...

She has episodes on the kitchen, the living room, and the bedroom as well, all equally fascinating. And somewhere on YouTube there's a bit where she's doing the grocery shopping for Henry VIII, with a cart full of meats! :lol:

I don't actually go inside the house much as my work is more to do with the gardens. But occasionally I have to go across the estate before any visitors are about and get to walk up the drive on my own pretending I live there :lol:

How could you resist? :lol:

I have a special love for Tudor and Elizabethan herb gardens, and sometimes wish I could turn my back yard into one. Too much work for me at my age, though, so I have to be content with a small plot under my kitchen window.

[Blahblah]

I view the British Royals as exotic zoo animals or museum pieces usually. No application in real life, bit like displays of another country/culture/era.

But I must say that Kate does seem a bit artificial. I can't help comparing her to Princess Mary of Denmark. Mary came from a normal Aussie family, met her Prince in a pub in Sydney, and has slotted in to an entirely foreign country, learned a new language, popped out 4 kids etc. but Mary sparkles with personality. She is generally engaging, happy, looks like she's enjoying herself (mostly).

Kate on the other hand looks like she's been Teflon coated or something. She seems to me to be terrified of putting a foot wrong. Having said that she should stop romping about naked or in bikinis in areas exposed to the public if she doesn't want to be photographed.

Maybe the Danish are more accepting, forgiving, tolerant of their royals than the Brits are so ther is allowance for Mary to be herself.

[tropaka]

Kate on the other hand looks like she's been Teflon coated or something. She seems to me to be terrified of putting a foot wrong. Having said that she should stop romping about naked or in bikinis in areas exposed to the public if she doesn't want to be photographed.

She probably is somewhat terrified of putting a foot wrong.

The topless photo thing - I believe they were at a private cottage somewhere and a paparazzo used a high powered cam through some woods. Not exactly cavorting in public. I think it's Princess Stephanie of Monaco who used to frequent beaches topless (but no one really cared compared to some of her other antics).

[Blahblah]

^^ agreed it was a private cottage but if she could see the road, or the woods, (or anything exterior to the cottage for that matter) from where she was getting her gear off, then the road (and any long distance lens on it) could see her and she should have known that risk.

And the bikini shots were on a public beach in Mustique. She's in public, so she's fair game. I don't see why there was the uproar about the pics being published.

[laura oz]

I want your job. :)

Dang, me too! :mrgreen: And don't feel weird about pretending. I did that at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC and there were about 100 people around, but in my mind I was all alone and "queening". I am an odd little duckie :lol:

[So Many Lies]

That is what really struck me. To go from that insistence on the young virgin princess just 30 years ago, to openly living together and still being seen as the ideal wholesome royal couple is really amazing. And if I recall it seems like a great deal of the problems that Diana and Charles had were due to her being a very sheltered, very young girl marrying a much older, much more worldly man - who it appears only married her due to extreme pressure to marry someone appropriate. And even in the early 80's it would have been hard to find a virgin well into her twenties I would imagine, so it had to be some demure teen.

Probably leart from their mistakes.

BTW royal physician checking for virginit! Ewww. They have come a long way.

[J'ean Skirt]

^^ agreed it was a private cottage but if she could see the road, or the woods, (or anything exterior to the cottage for that matter) from where she was getting her gear off, then the road (and any long distance lens on it) could see her and she should have known that risk.

It was something like more than a km away. IMO that was a serious invasion of her privacy. But, I'm one of those people that doesn't think that women are at fault when people invade their space and privacy and appropriate their body.

[Patsy]

It was something like more than a km away. IMO that was a serious invasion of her privacy. But, I'm one of those people that doesn't think that women are at fault when people invade their space and privacy and appropriate their body.

Exactly. That was NOT fucking okay. You'd be okay with someone taking nude photos of you through your window because you didn't check a sliver of a gap and they had super-tech cameras? No. I don't see what "should have known the risk" has to do with it.

What are the Danish press like, on that note? If they're not as disgusting as in Britain, it could go a way to (partly) explain Mary's relaxed appearance.

[valsa]

It was something like more than a km away. IMO that was a serious invasion of her privacy. But, I'm one of those people that doesn't think that women are at fault when people invade their space and privacy and appropriate their body.

Quoting: for when "liking" just doesn't convey how fucking right someone is.

[Gizmola]

Isn't it possible that Will & Kate are two young people who met in college, fell in love and probably would've married years ago but for the family to which he belongs and the mantle of responsibility he'll one day carry? That perhaps all they're doing is striving to be as normal as they can be within the confines of the system into which he was born? Obviously, he seems to have taken great care in preparing her for what life would be like once they married, seriously considering the hellish existence of his mother in relation to the press, etc. and his concern and consideration are marks of his love for her.

One day, they will be the King & Queen - a job, as evidenced by his grandmother and many before her, that is for life. He cannot abdicate if he feels like opening a sandwich shop - he has little to no choice. And even if we think he does, he's been instructed since childhood that this royalty thing is not a vocation one chooses, it is a duty, to God & country.

So in the meantime, I see them as two young people who simply wish to live as simply as they will be allowed and hopefully have time, peace and space to create the sort of warm, loving family Kate shares with her family and Will never had.

[Blahblah]

For the record I didn't say that it wasn't an invasion of privacy or that she somehow invited it or that it was an ok thing to happen to her. You are trying to make it sound like I somehow condone this stuff.

But people in the public eye as much as she is need to be aware that if they leave themselves vulnerable (and yes, with today's technology even 1km away is vulnerable) then some scumbag pap will take the opportunity and exploit them. And in her position, taking off your bikini top and then bottom, even at that distance, is risky.

[Bethella]

For the record I didn't say that it wasn't an invasion of privacy or that she somehow invited it or that it was an ok thing to happen to her. You are trying to make it sound like I somehow condone this stuff.

But people in the public eye as much as she is need to be aware that if they leave themselves vulnerable (and yes, with today's technology even 1km away is vulnerable) then some scumbag pap will take the opportunity and exploit them. And in her position, taking off your bikini top and then bottom, even at that distance, is risky.

I hate to say this, but this almost sounds like "if she was dressed like a slut she was asking for it". She was in a place where anyone else would have had a reasonable expectation of privacy, she shouldn't be any different just because she's famous.

[Loveday]

I hate to say this, but this almost sounds like "if she was dressed like a slut she was asking for it". She was in a place where anyone else would have had a reasonable expectation of privacy, she shouldn't be any different just because she's famous.

This. Even people 'in the public eye' deserve privacy at SOME point.

[J'ean Skirt]

For the record I didn't say that it wasn't an invasion of privacy or that she somehow invited it or that it was an ok thing to happen to her. You are trying to make it sound like I somehow condone this stuff.

But people in the public eye as much as she is need to be aware that if they leave themselves vulnerable (and yes, with today's technology even 1km away is vulnerable) then some scumbag pap will take the opportunity and exploit them. And in her position, taking off your bikini top and then bottom, even at that distance, is risky.

Tell me again how taking off your top at that distance was "Risky."

Tell me again how she doesn't deserve privacy.

Tell me again how she left herself vulnerable.

You're just blaming her for having her privacy invaded.

[miffy]

I view the British Royals as exotic zoo animals or museum pieces usually. No application in real life, bit like displays of another country/culture/era.

But I must say that Kate does seem a bit artificial. I can't help comparing her to Princess Mary of Denmark. Mary came from a normal Aussie family, met her Prince in a pub in Sydney, and has slotted in to an entirely foreign country, learned a new language, popped out 4 kids etc. but Mary sparkles with personality. She is generally engaging, happy, looks like she's enjoying herself (mostly).

Kate on the other hand looks like she's been Teflon coated or something. She seems to me to be terrified of putting a foot wrong. Having said that she should stop romping about naked or in bikinis in areas exposed to the public if she doesn't want to be photographed.

Maybe the Danish are more accepting, forgiving, tolerant of their royals than the Brits are so ther is allowance for Mary to be herself.

Fredrik's brother married a part Chinese woman from Hong Kong in the 90s. So either this broke down the barriers or Queen Margarethe was always more interested in drawing & chain smoking than controlling every move of her children. She is one of the only modern day queens who is usually photographed with a real smile on her face.

[Soldier of the One]

The gutter press embodies some of the worst aspects of the Male Gaze. Even a Royal is entitled to take her top off in the privacy of her own context. Kate Middleton can't be held accountable to that. If there's a question of blame, it lies squarely with the paparazzi for hounding them.

I understand there is somewhat of a trade-of: you get Royal privilege, then you get the burden of being a public persona. But this is the key, right? 'Public persona'. In public. Not in private. There is no code of ethics for the gutter press, not in any real sense, and they really go too far. And this brings me back to the original post with the reference to the article: Kate (and William, to a lesser degree) is being objectified beyond belief. Her sexuality, her body, her glossy tresses, her baby bump - EVERYTHING has become public property. People confuse definitions. Being a Royal means being a servant to the public; not a slave to their probing eyes, minds and fingers. She is stripped off her dignity on a daily basis.

Did she 'choose' this? Maybe so. But do any of us 'choose' to go into a job or position we love so that we have to justify its excesses? The excesses should not be part of the core description of the job. Being photographed cutting ribbons in your designer frock is fine: that's part of your job description and part of the grand theater piece that royalty is. Photographed nude at your chateau or even on a public beach? Not fine. It's your time, your time off and your life.

See? This is where huge amounts of sexism comes in: Kate just cannot win. Whatever she does, she'll be judged, harangued or whatever. Too fat, too skinny. Too prude, too open. Too lazy, too ambitious. The woman just can't win. If she would have held down a real job with the real messiness and complexity of real jobs, she could have compromised her position with the Royal family and the man she loves. She has enough to contend with being a non-virginal commoner. Working in 'Party Pieces' (her parents' business) was her safest bet. It meant she vaguely did something but it was within a context she could completely trust and hide away from the world and not stir up controversy. She's been called 'Waity Katy' but what else could she have done? Through all this, I see her intelligence, discretion and stamina. This is a woman who has been chased around by paparazzi for all of her young adult life. It would drive me nuts!

As for privilege... ya know? Compared to the filthy rich billionaires out there, the Royals really aren't all that privileged. There's a measure of public accountability. They would be penalized for been seen as too extravagant. There are people out there who wield REAL power and who are rich beyond our wildest imaginations and who yet get the perk of not living in the limelight, who are not accountable to any public and who can pretty much do what they want. Kate has been reduced to a pretty bird in a gilded cage.

I don't feel sorry for her. She's a grown woman and chose this life. But I do empathize with her as I can only imagine a fraction of the pressure she's under. I am glad she wanted this, that she likes this, because it will make her successful and less likely to be miserable. This is not a meta-statement about my desire for a monarchy but about what I see as a young woman who in many ways is the paradigm of how society views and treats women. And how it engages with class.

I also think the British monarchy is a radically different institution for the far more mellow, down-to-earth Scandinavian monarchies. They're worlds apart, as are their general societies.

[Irishy]

Fredrik's brother married a part Chinese woman from Hong Kong in the 90s. So either this broke down the barriers or Queen Margarethe was always more interested in drawing & chain smoking than controlling every move of her children. She is one of the only modern day queens who is usually photographed with a real smile on her face.

Agreed! Queen Margrethe looks like a jolly old bird. Completely natural and happy in her skin. I like the way she doesn't care if she's photographed with a drink and a fag in hand. So at odds with QE2