KN’s flexibility regarding William and Kate is amazing. Guess she figured it was time to get with the program.

An excellent article by Richard Palmer about William’s visit!

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/153662/Prince-William-the-conqueror/

Thats alot of pictures! I am thrilled for William that he got such good marks for this visit. And I am shocked that I can say I agree 100% with everything Katie Nicholl said in her report here on US TV yesterday. I am sure that sentiment will be washed away this weekend when she puts up some dumb,poorly researched article! LOL.

Prince William Fair Dinkum

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/royals/2821093/Prince-William-on-his-first-official-overseas-tour-Down-Under.html

I waited hours to see Prince William eat a sausage

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1245546/I-waited-hours-eat-sausage-scenes-Prince-Williams-Royal-tour-GMTVs-Emme-Crosby.html

^^^ Oops, sorry, wrong link. That should be this link;
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1244981/Prince-Harry-Lesotho-An-inside-look-charity-work.html

Lisa,
thx for the Palmer link — nice summary of the trip. I truly hope to see more of this kind of exposure during 2010.

hi, if anyone as facebook be informed they may start charging do not know when and they the company are unsure of prices and the etcs. thought i pass it on.

Enjoy this “analys” about William’s trip:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6999376.ece

Rman, what a wonderful picture of Diana and Charles. I think that was at their happiest. I miss her.

Rman,
I did click on the picture, and I must admit, I wish I hadn’t… can you spell a-w-k-w-a-r-d? Too much informatioooonnnn!!!!!

yes, if you look at this article closely it simply falls apart.

“Although Kate has met the Prince on several occasions, it was the first time she had spent any time with her future father-in-law.”

I must have imagined those pictures of Charles skiing with Will and Kate. LOL

“She even cancelled an opportunity to work for American Vogue in New York so that she could support her future husband in his flying career.”

This line alone shoots this article in the foot.

and finally…

However, a conference call from Birkhall to the Middletons’ Berkshire roost put their minds at rest, reinforced by Prince William himself who paid them a visit on Kate’s 28th birthday to assure them that plans to announce their engagement are imminent. A family friend says a wedding this year seems unlikely, though.

Well, Middleton “family friends” have never spoken to the press or they would cease to be friends. And no engagement announcement will be “imminent” if the wedding is not within the next 6 months.

They must think we are stupid.

Very true Lisa, but I think the quote I posted is a bit close to the truth. I think the Middleton family has had a very hard time with the tabloid articles. I just can’t imagine how many times they may have put a pillow over their faces so no one can hear them scream. They know who Kate is because they have known her all their lives but the media very often print things that’s not true about Kate, and it can’t be easy for them to read the garbage and think of the public walking away with the thought of what they are reading is the truth.

More on Victoria & Daniel’s Wedding Series-

http://tinyurl.com/yfasfza

Hale, I think you have to understand that this was only William’s first big overseas trip and it took place where many think the whole idea of still having a Monarchy is outdated. Despite this, there was still a big turn out for William. Things have changed since the days when Elizabeth & Philip traveled the Commonwealth for months at a time. Back then people had strong feelings about the crown but now that has changed. Charles & Diana was greeted by large crowds too because they were a young, beautiful couple and the future of the Monarchy looked bright. While on his own, William did very well on this trip but when he gets married to Kate, the future of the Monarchy will brighten up again and we may see even bigger crowds and tons of more coverage. This was just a taste of what’s to come.

Hale,

I did research on the Danish RF. If you re read my post. See just after…. Mary is princess of denmark and my surprise was that she didnt attire more crowds than william (I was sure she did and wanted to compare how much more people come to cheer and greet mary, but my surprise came when I saw it was not the case and that william had crowds as big as Mary. I understand better why William tour what greeted as it did by the newspapers in australia).If Mary attire much large crowd of course newspapers in australia would say “william was a big hit, but our princess was really queen of australia”. Hope you understand my POV.After extract from my previous post :

“And now … Mary. The larger crowd was in Hobart and 5000 waited to meet her. I was certain she had many more people to see her than william and Surprise … not the case. She had 600 people on a sunday after the church, 2000 at Sydney opera on the Christian Handersen ceremony, and 100 at the Harbour in Sydney. She spend 3 weeks here on nearly a state visit (sydney, melbourne, canberra and tasmania). The success was phenomenal but william did the same, you can check my information on the royal forum (use SEARCH… Mary in australia, march 2005)”.

ON THE 19 J.:
•POW Media: Prince William arrives in New Zealand
•POW Media: Prince William begins his New Zealand visit in Auckland
•POW Media: Prince William visits Wellington on second day of New Zealand
•Telegraph: Prince William in New Zealand security alert as DJ gatecrashes.
•Telegraph: Prince William in NZ: Prince evokes visions of his parents
•Telegraph: Prince William continues his Royal tour Kiwi style
•Telegraph: No shortage of wise counsel for Prince William on first official
•BBC: Prince William opens New Zealand court building
•BBC: In Pictures: Prince William’s New Zealand welcome
•Daily Mail: Prince William in security scare as DJ breaks into barbecue
•Sun: Wills ‘ball’ lad: I’m sorry, Kate!
•Hello: Rugby, a Maori greeting and an audience with a kiwi get William’s NZ
•Mirror: Prince William security alert after Radio DJ prank
•Getty Images: Prince William visits New Zealand Day 2
•Getty Images: Prince William visits New Zealand Day 3
•Getty Images: Prince William visits Australia Day 1
•Express: Intruder scare at Prince William’s barbecue
•Reuters: Prince William visits Australia as preferred future King
•Sun: Prince charms sick kids on visit
•Sydney Morning Herald: Prince William arrives in Sydney
•ABC: Prince William lands in Sydney
•TVNZ: Prince William reluctant to leave New Zealand
•News.com.au: Prince visits indigenous community centre
•Sydney Morning Herald: Prince welcomed in Redfern (video)
•Herald Sun: Prince William arrives in Australia as survey suggests…
•Sydney Morning Herald: Aussies want Prince William as next king
•NZ Herald: Would Prince William make a good king one day?
•Stuff: Prince Charles is Kiwis’ preferred king
•Stuff: Supreme Court, supreme day with William new
•Sky News: Prince William expresses sympathy for victims of Haiti quake
•NZ Herald: A fine day to meet the Kiwis
•NZ Herald: Charles and William evens for throne new
•NZ Herald: Prince recalls nations’ mutual ties
•People: Tween takes shot at William’s Royal Family Jewels!
•Herald Sun: Prince William hair to the throne new
•Sydney Morning Herald:Monarchists hope Prince will boost cause
•Sydney Morning Herald: Man who would be king, but not Governor-General..yet

20/
•BBC: William takes aim in Australia
•BBC: Prince William praises Sydney on trip to city
•Royal Blog: William ready to pack up, move to Sydney
•Daily Mail: Wills-mania! Prince Charming takes Australia by storm
•Sun: Prince Wiilliam
•PoW Media: Prince William spends a second day in Sydney
•Telegraph: Prince William says he may buy a ‘second home’ in Australia
•Telegraph: Prince William: shooting skills shown off in Sydney
•M&C: Prince William is avoiding questions
•CNN: Video: Prince William’s popularity
•Reuters: Video: UK Prince aims for Australian bond
•Herald Sun: Do we need the royals?
•Stuff: No charges for royal gatecrasher new

•Getty Images: Prince William Visits Australia – Day 3
•Hello: Highlights from Prince William’s first official overseas visit
•PoW Media: Prince William meets communities affected by the Victorian Bu…
•PoW Media: Videos from Prince William’s visit to New Zealand
•Telegraph: Prince William takes on Australia at cricket
•Guardian: Prince William shows he can do the job – but does he want it?
•The Australian: William the conqueror

just a selection … you have to add all the videos, and photos on REX FEATURES, GETTY (listed below) LIFE MAGAZINE, BUNTE, etc… the german TV ZDF and spanish RTVE send reporters there (saw the reporterS on TV in paris by cable), reports on sky news and BBC WORLD (got on the cable here in paris) and EURONEWS (if you have ever heard of this channel???). Two australian newspapers (the daily telegraph and the Australian) have edited a special edition dedicated only to the prince’s tour (as they did with princess mary). You can see on the web the one of daily telegraph). Photo of william on the cover is fantastic.
If you check the Telegraph (uk newspaper… I put the link in next post.. you ‘ll understand better)
soon

rman
the picture ofdiana na dcharles
is there any way it was photoshopped
it seems out of character?

really? Exactly. When the Queen first arrive in NZ, 10,000 people greeted her at the airport.

I recall PC, long before he married Diana the sheer crowds that always greeted him. The other thing is they were always, always front page. That has not been the case this time round.

In the UK, newspapers are declining in sales drastically. Most people either get their news from TV, Radio and Internet.

NYme, you mention Sky & BBC. Clearly those channel which broadcast abroad have covered this story than the channels in England. We do not watch BBC. We watch BBC. I can only recall 2 reports on the entire visit. The one when PW arrived in NZ & then in Australia. Furthermore, it was way down the list and I saw the NZ report on the 6pm news, and the arrival in Australia on the lunch time news. Also the reports lasted about 30 secs.

For all the reports you have mentioned, none were front page. Look, I am not on purposely playing this down. This tour is best described in one phrase. Pfft…

Our newspapers are now trying to make out more than what it was. Even the Guardian. Why? They’re writing absolutely rubbish. Claiming PW received rock star reception. Well then, if that is the case then clearly we in England give our rock stars bigger receptions than they do in NZ & OZ. In fact we give reality stars big receptions.

The RF have also been associated with the feel good feeling. Britons are not feeling good today. There is no pride in this tour and the press can revise, lie, fictionalise as much as they want…..it is what it is.

Okay, before I am accused of one of those haters, allow me to explain myself.

I am a monarchist pure and simple. I do not envy countries who elect their heads of state. You are welcome to them.

The monarchy in this country represents an institution going back to over a thousand years. They represent our history, our culture our identity. They imbue us with a sense of continuity and they act as buffers, as promoters and breakers of ice.

I have, to date been disappointed with PW because I am only too aware how staid and unpopular the monarchy currently is in my country.

As we all know, the PC & Diana thing had a lot to do with it. So it now requires someone new and young to raise its profile. In order to raise its profile, PW as future king is the obvious choice and he needs to up his game.

He needs to engage with the media more because we live in an age of communication and where one has to make a big splash to get noticed. Short of PW cutting a record or starring in a film, informality and low key isn’t going to do it. All that does is induce the monarchy’s decline further. Not just in NZ, OZ and elsewhere, but here in Briton.

Edward VII knew how to go about it. After Queen Victoria eventually kicked the bucket, Edward VII made his splash by increasing the pomp and ceremony associated with the monarchy. He was right and people loved what they were served.

PW it appears is the opposite. He favours a minimalist monarchy. He doesn’t like the fuss and he doesn’t particularly cares for the media. That attitude is only going to speed up the demise of the monarchy.

Despite, the blitz coverage they were giving it down under, they are now reporting over here in the DM that PW’s visit has reduced the number of people who want to do away with the monarchy. What are the odds of the DM doing a survey down under in a months times? Do you think people will feel the same after a 5 day visit in a months time?

The other thing is why did PW go in the first place? Not because his office suggested the visit, but because the Q asked him to. So much for PW wanting to get to know Australia. In five days????

I was so looking forward to this tour. I thought finally he has come to his senses and is putting his position over himself. NOT!!!!!! Instead I am cradling my head thinking this is the end.

With regards to his engagements. mapleleaf if you read this, all those engagements you posted, I am wondering were they all solo engagements or did some of them include those with other members of his family?

I am sadly coming to the conclusion that PW is lazy. Sorry if that offends anyone, but there it is. He only does anything when push comes to shove. Again, typical Duke of Windsor.

Rman, you are such a sweetie and methinks a perennial optimist.

I believe that W shall marry Kate. I feel terribly sorry for her because this girl is going to have to do all the work. I suspect she shall be torn.

On the one hand the RF and especially PW shall want to avoid the kind of coverage which Diana received and the courtiers shall not care to see PW sidelined in the same way as PC was, but given W’s aversion to the press that is exactly what is going to happen and how are those two as a couple going to come to terms with that?

I happen to think aside from being lazy, PW has shown himself to be stubborn and with Kate having been on the sidelines for so long he is someone who takes her for granted and is therefore self centered and selfish.

So here is my question to all of you, why would anyone want to wish Kate on anyone like that?

Hello,

Guys, I think we should all read, mark and digest all that Hale says in #46 above. Her comments and realistic analysis is is a true and accurate reflection of the position this side of the pond.

I am not sure however that the description of PW as lazy is strictly true as I believe that it is more naivety , definite immaturity and wilfulness accrued as the result of being the ‘golden’ boy during his early years.

He has never been able to accept and was never taught that with the privilege of being a Royal Princeling came the reponsibility of birthright and service to his subjects. He has always demanded and received his own way from a young age and now finds it difficult to consider the position of others.

I believe that KM could be good for PW as a strong person coming as she does from a regular and strong family but in all honesty he has never publicaly acknowledged the support she has loyally given to him for many years despite what may have happened in private and as mentioned above the unfair degradation to her character he allowed to happen will take many years to overcome especially with the 20 to 30 year olds who in 30+ years will be the backbone of his subjects. She has really suffered from the his public neglect and lack of moral support she should really expect from a lover or even a friend.

It is time that he corrects this position but unfortunately he seems unable to do so whilst he persues what is an unrealistic dream. He will never be an ordinary guy and if his CO’s detect any danger in a situation he would never be allowed to undertake the mission.

So what is he looking for?

Ked, that too may be it. As the Golden Child he has perhaps always got his own way too often.

Ingrid Seward in her book the People’s Princes wrote that every time PW fell over as a child there were several people running from all directions to pick him up.

Hale,
I agree with Ked. Your post at #46 is excellent! It shows a deep understanding of the issues and a desire to get to the bottom of the situation rather than simply seeing what you want to see. Bravo!

Ked,
Your insight into the Kate situation is also very refreshing.

Words like this were used in one of the articles concerning William about Kate-He wants to protect her from being in that royal goldfish bowl. Couldn’t it be that to acknowledge er as hs grlfrikend even would put her more into that goldfish bowl. Could William be really trying to look after Kate by not saying anything. Also, did I not read that he opened up with a crowd on a walkabout about Kate getting engaged and the wedding? I never read any specifics. Finally. I am sure that he gets together with Kate more than we know. About SAR. it would just be that he has found a way to help the people without being able to fight for his country in war. I might be all wrong. But I doubt if Kate would be staying with him if they were not going to make this permanent. I think that William loves her, but is trying to protect her in his own way. I also believe that he loves her. I think that when we get Rbin Nunn’s book we will see some of these tender moments in pictures.

did we ever get word on what the situation was with Kate’s family at the duchy’s estate in Cornwall. Was it given to them by the Prince? Was there a reason that they went there?
Just curious.

I defer to the english to give a state of the union on british media> What a big mistake not to have pictures of him leaving or coming back. After seeing the pictures of past prince’s of wales coming back it would do something to generate some excitment.

I still wonder Ked why it is so important to figure out what PW wants — why not look at him for what he is. WE had to do that with PC.

And the bottom line is PW is not in the position that PC was at his age, he can marry who he wants. The problem is he has inherited his fathers indecisivness.

thanks mapleleaf for the info on the photoshopping not being an option.
I bet william and harry wince at that — so embarrassing to see your parents like that !

Dianan instilled i the boys from a very young age to be thankful for what they received and that they had to understand their birthright – so I don’t buy that william was just given everything he wanted. She set ruels
I remember that Harry complained about the drink he got at an event and they said ok we will give ou another one and she said no harry you will take what you are given and be thankful.
I think pushing them to be called Harry and William shielded them from being treated as royals and overly catered too.

William may have gotten his way after her death but his formative years had her huge influence of duty and responsibility.

Wow the picture of Charles & Diana was very un expected. Definnitely must have been in the first years of marriage. I see speculation still rages on…..

Really? Might I point out that Kate has made no such “fatal” mistake as she is still William’s partner.

I must admit that I am continually baffled the picking apart of of Prince William. I don’t see what the man has done that is so wrong. He is NOT The heir. I repeat he is not the heir. I feel it perfectly fine for him to learn a skill,something every other citizen has the option to do, and use that skill to serve his country. This experience will make him a better man and a better king.

ked to portray Kate as some doormat and William as someone who treats her badly simply by not yelling his love for her from the rooftops seems like some sort of hidden agenda to me. Kate Middleton seems perfectly happy and if she is not,she would surly pull on her well worn boots and head for the door. I am quite sure she knows where it is.

I wish to quote for you all a post from another site which I read but do not post. I do believe it sums things up perfectly and my hat goes off to it’s author…

From “MissGarnett” at the Royal Forums, whom I hope does not mind my quoting her wise words….

“….He is royal, and she very soon will be, without a doubt. It will happen when it happens and of course we will all be excited about it, and follow every minute of it from begininng to end, because of their public profile, I think we just have to step back a bit from all the personal speculation about this couple…at the end of the day, it’s their own business.”

Wise words,indeed.

Lisa, I very often come up on comments from people who think William has never acknowledged Kate has his girlfriend. William has infact acknowledged Kate as his girlfriend by appearing in public with her, letting her attend royal family events like The Order of The Garter, family weddings and even took Kate to Balmoral so Prince Charles could teach her how to hunt. The guy also spend big bucks on vacations for her every year. William is not being loving to ‘just a friend’, he’s being loving towards a girlfriend. He’s made this loud and clear without really speaking about it because they prefer to have a private relationship.

Phoebe you are right, neither party explained what happened and since they never explained what happened to the relationship in 07, the media took it upon themselves to give their thoughts on what happened. It still remains a mystery of what caused the split but I’m happy that’s all behind them now.

really?, I know people think Kate courted the press during the split by hitting the clubs but people fail to understand that William was too hitting the clubs at that time. I think they both was hurting but wanted drown their sorrows in the clubs. I think that was a very hard time for them both. Now they seem to be determined to make it work. It’s something there that’s worth fighting for.

Hello LadyB,

This, I think is the first occasion I have the pleasuer to answer or address you and I complement you on a restrained but loyal post.

I think that Hale,yourself and myself agree on the complexity of PW’s character and extravagant view of life in general.

True, he is not sure of what he wants from life and has some 10/11 years ago denied his birthright and reveived a wholehearted scolding from PC to whom duty is paramount.

Your unfinished “unless” I believe does exist and I have seriously thought that the recent (last two years or so) promotion of PH from spare to duality with PW was of interest.

After many years of being forced into the background PH was suddenly brought forward and comments such as “the future of the Monarchy is very much in the hands of both PW and PH” began to appear. A drastic divergence from established protocol!

When you refer to PW/KM’s marriage you do indicate that if the pressures of being the direct heir (x2) were not present then the couple would have been married.

If PW had not in 2007 informed HM and PP that although he loved KM he was not sure if it were enough for marriage would it have gone ahead in 2009 as expected and did his ‘escape’ to SARS reflect his frustration that senior Royals did question the relationship?

We find ourselves in this position, questioning all motives and reasons because we do not know and are unlikely to know until that long awaited announcement informing the world one way or …………..

Again, your post was interesting, topical and well written. Please lets us have more of your thoughts.

For now away tomorrow for a few days. Back to Switzerland but for work this time but…. well perhaps we’ll see

Hello Ked. Many thanks for your reply.

Do we know for sure that PW informed Her Majesty and Prince Philip of those doubts? (alleged or otherwise)

Either way, it proves my point. He simply was not ready, either for marriage or for full time royal dutes (SAR).

I also feel that he knows only too well how he and Kate will steal his fathers thunder once an announcement is made. Prince Charles will be well and truly put in the shade and William does not want that.

What a tricky life he leads, so much to juggle. All will come out in the end, in good time.

therre was no denial from the Queen’s people about this claim which would mean it was most likely true that he did say this to the Queen.

I still think Kate or not he is not ready for marriage or a life of responsibility. I think if he uses his father as an excuse he is weak. I trust he isnt’ using the fact that he might over shadow him as an excuse.

PC didn’t care about kate being in the news constantly until WILLIam pushed her as ked put it “beyond the ether”

I don’t think we will ever know what is said in private between members of the RF. Those conversations are between family members and are none of our business. Because they are family discussions I don’t think the PR machine should comment on them. I would not want to have discussions between my parents and myself about who I am dating in the news or the commented on my a family PR team.

Yes, being in the RF is differnt,you are a public figure, but that does not mean we get to know everything that is said. Don’t get me wrong I would love to be a fly on the wall to see and hear what goes on, but that is not going to happen.

Until PW pulls the trigger and gets down on one knee, all we can do is wait and take what the tabs say with a grain of salt

really?, The Queen very simply respected William & Kate’s privacy. In April 2007, everyone wanted to know what caused William & Kate’s split but the couple didn’t say what happened. Royal Watchers wanted an answer, the couple didn’t provide one so the media gave their readers an answer, it was done without the cooperation of William & Kate. Since the people wanted an answer, they ran with one of many reasons the media provided about the split.

Here are a list of reasons the tabs came up with-

1. William told his grandmother (The Queen) he just didn’t love her enough.

2. William felt trapped in the relationship.

2. Kate blamed Charles for the split.

3. Kate’s mother (Carole Middleton) was too pushy for William to marry her daughter. Note-This is a rumor that the media refuse to let go.

4. Kate’s family wasn’t aristocratic or just from a different background that wasn’t suitable enough to marry the second in line to the throne.

5. Kate became frightened of the idea of someday becoming Queen.

The list can go on and on and please excuse me if I’m leaving anything out of the list. These are some of the answers the media gave the public and since the public was hungry for answer on the split, they ran with the tabloid stories. At that time, my thoughts was with William & Kate. The media was creating speculations out of this world and it even caused some bloggers to turn on the Middleton family. The couple did what they wanted behind the scenes, they patched things up and continued on with their love affair.

There’s a true love story between William & Kate and just like Elizabeth & Philip, the story will only come out when their family and friends open up about it. Right now, the tons of speculations about them have a way of tarnishing the truth. Someday the truth will arrive.

I haven’t read from Sojourner for days, except today reading some rather last weeks posts in RA.

I have a curiosity, checking Royalanecdotes, why does John keep them posters in the dark with no royal information? Prince William’s trip, wing ceremony, helicpoter video, etc. Weird. I bet them posters would laugh/cry with glee just watching the Helicopter video. They seem to have no knowledge of its existence

Results: Head of statein the AUSTRALIAN (after william visit, results can be seen on the front page of THE AUSTRALIAN today)!

Do you support Malcolm Turnbull’s call for an Australian head of state once Queen Elizabeth’s reign ends?
Yes 48.5% (1499 votes)
No 51.5% (1592 votes)

Total votes: 3091

Lady B, thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts and welcome to the forum. I hope to read more of your posts in the future.

With regards to Ked’s last post. How I interpreted it is best summed up in this article.

http://tinyurl.com/yfqb3nz

I believe PW didn’t feel he was ready to settle down, he knows the pressure is on him to get things right.

Ironically, there are many posters here and on other forums who think there are problems within the W & K relationship. I have never been one of them. It is always been my held belief that the thing which held up PW & KM is PW’s willingness to accept his responsibilities. By the way, that is also how I interpreted Ked’s posts.

NYme, Just to let you know, over here our newspapers have several stories on the front page. One main one followed by smaller ones.

As for the poll down under, I have already seen that. I wonder if they shall feel the same way in 3 months time?

By the way, has anyone heard from Alsgal or Maddie? Hope they are well.

hale – what about reported cooling off periods?
do you think that those were not real?
or just part of dating?
just curious?
NOT trying to be antognistic just seeking some opinions!

That’s right Hale, all couples have their ups and downs. I’m sure William & Kate’s relationship not always on cloud nine. The great part is whatever problems they may have, I’m sure they get through it together.

Clover, yes thank you. Steadily but surely.