Kate Middleton wins broadsheet support
As well as winning over the people of the United Kingdom to her side, Kate Middleton is also securing support in our broadsheet newspapers.
Political analyst Simon Heffer of the Telegraph includes her in his People of the World 2008 roundup in today’s paper, under the heading, Wish Kate Middleton well — for all our sakes. Here are a few choice cutlets :
One of the few people we should wish unequivocally well for 2008 is poor old Kate Middleton, who (like some nice young girls before her) fell for a prince and had a rotten time as a result. [...]
I can foresee a time, in about 30 years, when the House of Windsor is going through a rocky patch, and when a sensible, jolly girl like Queen Kate is just the person to put it back on its feet. [...]
It is much easier to beat up our Royal Family than to be constructive about it … I suspect our future as a nation depends rather more on the welfare of King William V than we yet understand.
Excellent summary from a heavyweight political pundit. Long may he reign.
I agree with Mr. Heffer and with you, John. Prince William has chosen well and not merely the Royal Family but, I believe, the whole of Britain will be the grateful beneficiaries of the Prince’s excellent choice of consort. My dear parents often told me, when discussing the traumatic years of WWII, during which my Father served with the US Army in Europe, that two of the people whose contributions were miraculously significant to the success of the Allied Powers were Winston Churchill, obviously, and Queen Elizabeth. “Why Queen Elizabeth?” I asked at the time and was told that she was the glue that held it all together. Kate Middleton has those same qualities of grace under pressure, a positive attitude, perseverence and a steely strength that will serve Britain well in the years ahead. Whether the road winds uphill or downhill, I believe Kate will set the pace and complete the race. She may even, in the end, turn out to be the one who knows the way.
By Gigi on December 29th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
I agree completely, Gigi. Kate seems a fine complement to William.
By John on December 29th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Yes I do agree too. May 2008 be filled with much happiness. I feel we will have more great things to talk about.
By Claudius on December 29th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
I am glad that Kate is getting the recognition that she deserves.
During this year, she has remained loyal to the royal family. Her silence speaks volumes as to her character. When the split was announced, she said nothing. As she and Prince William worked their way back to each other, not a word was spoken. I was impressed. Kate has remained steadfast in her support of Prince William. Her family remains an important part of her life. That shows her strong attitudes towards family. I do hope that she finds the happiness that she deserves. I also hope that Prince William and Kate find much love, strength, and joy in each other.
Best of luck to both of them, their families, and the country which stands by them.
By kat on December 30th, 2007 at 4:19 am
The line about a nice girl falling for a Prince and having a rotten time of it certainly rings true. But in this case unlike his father it will not be the case of the Prince but the snobby courtiers who make life hell for those who marry in as was the case of Diana and Sarah but who’s husbands were of no help. Kate like Sophie Wessex has a quiet dignity and is very into family. Lets hope that during their split William realized that Kate not only loves him for himself but is the best he can get.
By Trudie on December 30th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Trudie, Sophie is a great favourite of the Queen who spends time with her at every opportunity. As a result she has a lot of protection against “snobby courtiers” who seem to be a dying breed. The Queen’s other great friend is her dresser, Angela Kelly — now in charge of much more than her wardrobe — who hails from a terraced council house in Liverpool.
Clearly, the Queen is no snob. Kate should fit in very well, especially with her warm, bouncy personality.
By John on December 30th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Hello to all the steadfast Royal Anecdotes followers! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!
I’ve been reading a few articles about the Royals during the past week, including one today in the Daily Mail about Kate’s family roots. There was also an article with lovely pictures in the Daily Mail on 12/26 covering the RF’s Christmas service. It was great to see pictures of the family interacting with one another. The Queen offered her umbrella to either Beatrice or Eugenie after the service so she wouldn’t get wet. What a nice moment to see HM acting as any concerned grandmother would act.
John, has the RA website undergone any changes over the past week? The webpages here are looking vastly different on my computer than they were prior to the holiday break. Of course, it could be something out of kilter with my computer, so I wanted to ask before I start tinkering on this end. Thanks.
By Melissa on December 30th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Hear, hear, Gigi! Like the others, I couldn’t agree with you more!
By Amity on December 30th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Melissa, can you describe the changes?
We have reduced the number of posts per page from 10 to 4 because of bothersome changes to Google’s rules and dropped a Bizrate ad box, but technically there haven’t been any changes at all.
Are you using the same browser as before? If you’ve switched to a Mac from a PC you may notice some differences.
By John on December 30th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
John I don’t think the courtiers that are snobby are a dying breed they are alive well and kicking in the court of Charles. That said HM is no snob she totally seems at ease with all people and Sophie appears to be one of the most charming of the royals. Kate is smart and very level headed she knows the rules by now and can only be an asset to William if he is smart enough not to let her get away again. Personally I can see in Kate I can see the voice of reason and a woman who can fully adapt to any situation.
By Trudie on December 30th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
I agree, Trudie. William would be smart to hang on to Kate this time. Since I don’t know either personally (LOL), I can only be speculating when I say that I think she is probably the most level-headed of the two. Not that I think William is an out-of-control louse by any means, it’s just that he’s had a few more public moments that he probably wishes he could take back, mainly in terms of having had too much to drink and being photographed in, um, less than gentlemanly photos with other women while courting Kate. Hopefully that is all squarely in the past.
John, as to the webpages looking different here, to begin with the ‘Contents’ column on the right-hand side is overlapping the comment section a bit, whereas before it was completely separate and off to the side. In addition, there’s something that I would call a banner that goes all the way across the screen, about 4″-5″ from the top. Within that banner, to the right, is “Syntagma Content.” That banner is running right over/through the copy right above Kate’s picture, as well as Kate’s picture. The pages are a little jumbled now as opposed to how they’ve looked since my first time looking at the site back in the spring and ever since.
I’m still on the same computer with the same browser (AOL). I did also view the site in my IE browser to see if it was a browser issue but I got the same results with IE. And you mentioned 4 responses per page rather than 10…I am seeing 10 responses on the page right now. I don’t know if that’s something you need to know.
I saw on another topic that you had friends in Oklahoma during the holidays. Were they visiting from England? If they had been here when one of several mild spates of winter weather came through since the ice storm, they would have been fine. We have had dustings of snow three times in the past three weeks, but it has melted away quickly and not caused much of an issue with driving or navigating on foot, although there were a few delays at our airports. At any rate, I hope they had a nice time while here. Most of the Oklahoma folks are helpful and friendly to visitors, although there are exceptions from time to time.
By Melissa on December 31st, 2007 at 12:22 am
Melissa, thanks for the heads up. There was a stray bit of code in the sidebar. IE7 and Firefox ignored it, but clearly AOL (which is an odd beast) didn’t. I’ve now removed it so it should be okay again. Please let me know how it looks. We’ve probably got the same problem on other sites so I’m grateful to you for letting me know.
An English friend of mine — who used to write for us — married an Oklahoma woman and lived there for a while. They recently moved to the Boston area and I haven’t heard from them since.
I must say, I think the winters in OK would put me right off.
By John on December 31st, 2007 at 10:29 am
John, I’m happy to report that all seems to be back to normal with the RA webpages as far as my AOL browser is concerned. I’m glad! Thanks! I wish I could put you to work at AOL to get my AOL ‘welcome screen’ looking normal.
It has been quite jumbled ever since they did an upgrade. I also think it might have something to do with Vista.
I wasn’t sure from the post I mentioned whether your friends were visiting or whether they had lived here and since moved. I can’t imagine anyone from the UK wanting to live in Oklahoma (no offfense to my home state…it’s just not a place I imagine people aspiring to move to) so I wrongly assumed that they were visiting over the holidays. I hope you hear from them soon. Perhaps we could send Arthur out to find them for you?
This winter and last winter have been worse than the norm as far as all types of winter precipitation are concerned. Of course, we shattered the annual rainfall record in 2007. The old record had stood for nearly a century. I think we received in the neighborhood of 55″ of rain this year and have run the gamut with ice, snow, flooding, etc. If the winters would put you off, how about summers with 100-degree-plus days and ample humidity to drive up the heat index?
I’m wondering about the article that I previously mentioned that appeared in the Daily Mail yesterday regarding Kate’s family history in recent generations. It was quite lengthy and while it did detail the more humble aspects of her family, I did not read it as being unfavorable towards her family or looking down on her (but maybe I was not reading it right). When I went back to the website later to re-read a portion of the article, I noticed that it had been changed to include more detail about holiday plans and vacations with a lot less info about the family roots. The pictures of past generations of her family were also gone. Was there some type of backlash about the article or is this just a regular practice on the DM site?
By Melissa on December 31st, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Melissa, I’m glad the site is looking well now. It’s a real bane keeping up with all the browsers out there as they each have their own way of interpreting the code. Our designer works long and hard sorting them out.
As for your AOL welcome screen, it is possible that there is a similar incompatibility with Windows Vista. We use Vista ourselves and have encountered problems. However, after a year, AOL should have sorted this out by now. It may be worth alerting them or seeking out the forums where you can ask a question to the geek community.
The problem is, AOL has it’s own version of the internet, which interfaces with the general internet. That has always caused some problems.
As for the weather, if you live in the middle of a large continent, you will always get extremes of weather. We live by the sea, which keeps us cool in summer and warm in winter. We also get the Gulf Stream which is warm water and air from the Gulf of Mexico — and we are at a latitude of 52 deg N. When you think that New York is at 40 (the same as the South of France), it’s incredible we have such a temperate climate.
On the article in the DM, I read that too. It certainly painted a down-at-heel image for Kate’s maternal lineage. The father’s side, which traces back to Sir Thomas Fairfax in Tudor times, would have presented a more rounded picture, but was almost ignored. Kate may well have taken exception to the piece, which seems to have been researched without the family’s knowledge.
By John on December 31st, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Thanks for the info regarding the DM article. Being a person who doesn’t judge people by their social status, ancestry, etc., I may very well have read the article wrong and just absorbed it as informational, rather than a veiled put-down. I generally take people as they are and give the benefit of the doubt but I can see how the article could have been written with other intentions (i.e. a jab at Kate and her mother’s side of the family). It saddens me that there are many who still cling to the snobbery of social distinctions based on money and lineage.
I did find it a bit odd that the caption on young Kate’s childhood school photo included a mention of “unruly eyebrows.” Why take a jab at a child? I’m sure most of us have a photo or two (or many) that are less than perfect. The caption I mentioned was included in the second version of the story, but was different in the first (longer) version of the story.
By Melissa on December 31st, 2007 at 1:34 pm
P.S. Regarding AOL’s browser, I continue to use it even after having switched to DSL. I grew accustomed to it through the years of using AOL dial-up and have continued to use the browser software since they provide it for free to high-speed users. I’ve never really been fond of IE, for some reason.
I will have to contact AOL again regarding the welcome screen. They told me about six months ago that Microsoft has made all of the early Vista adopters their guinea pigs while the bugs are worked out. A service pack is coming soon (surprise, surprise! LOL). Hats off to you and your team for getting things re-worked so quickly. Thanks again.
By Melissa on December 31st, 2007 at 1:42 pm
I have only today looked in RA because I thought that you would not open up ‘shop’ until 2nd Jan but it’s nice to have you back John.
I hope all of you out there had a happy Christmas and I wish you a happy new year, particularly our friends from over the pond.
Gigi I particularly liked your comments and you certainly had a wise father. I completely agree with his comments regarding the late Queen mum, she steadfastly stood by her husband the late King George VI. He had been thrust onto the throne following the abdication of his brother, with little or no preparation and did not enjoy the best of health. The King and Queen completely refused to leave London at the height of the blltz something that endeared them to the country. When Buckingham palace was hit by bombs the Queen said it all ‘At last I can look the East End in the face now’ She certainly was the glue.
Fast forward to the present and despite not knowing Kate I have a feeling that the absence of any skeletons means that she is someone that would meet with the Queen mum’s approval possessing the same glue like properties. Her lack of a word or foot out of place means that she loves her prince and would do nothing to compromise their relationship.
So come on your royal highness, make sure you do not let her go, she’s like gold for you and the future of the monarchy, get engaged now before your miliatary service, have a ‘long engagement’ and get married in 2009. !!!!!!!
By Royalist on December 31st, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Browsers are a matter of taste and habit, aren’t they? My colleagues in other internet companies swear by Firefox but I dislike it. I’ve found IE7 to be the best I’ve tried. They tell me IE8 is just around the corner — maybe with the new service pack. Let’s hope it doesn’t have too many problems attached.
By John on December 31st, 2007 at 2:11 pm
And a happy New Year to you, Royalist.
I think you’re absolutely right about Kate but I’m not sure we can expect too many developments in 2008. Wills will be very busy — I’ll be posting about this later today.
By John on December 31st, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Wow…the “unruly eyebrows” comment in the DM story about Kate and her schoolgirl photo has now been removed. A person really can’t keep up with all of their edits and revisions. I’m glad they took it out because it was a cheap shot.
By Melissa on December 31st, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Yes, they’ve taken the huge “Mail on Sunday” watermark off it too. The story was published in yesterday’s paper edition, but they keep editing the online version as a kind of rolling news story. We do the same with our websites. Once it comes off the front page it will go into the archives. That’s what makes web news and features so dynamic.
They had a few comments on that story too, so maybe adjusted the tone because of them.
By John on December 31st, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Oops I seem to have got the same comment posted twice SORRY
By Royalist on December 31st, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Sorted, Royalist.
By John on December 31st, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Many/most of the news sites that I visit either make note of what has been added/revised from the original posting or start a whole new story and include links along the side to previous news regarding the story a person is reading. I usually don’t encounter what I’ve noticed on the DM website. It could be that different customs prevail on opposite sides of the ocean. For me, it is a striking difference. Another difference: I’ve been finding more and more that while Americans and residents of the UK both speak English, sometimes an across-the-pond English-to-English dictionary is needed to sort out the various word usages and idiomatic references that momentarily stump me.
It is, however, enjoyable to learn these differences in custom and culture. 
By Melissa on December 31st, 2007 at 4:24 pm
I can appreciate that privacy in a rleationship is important. However, both parties need to be protected. With Prince William serving in the RAF and the Navy, his life will be insulated from the prying eyes of the public. However, this is not the case with Kate. Every day, she walks out her door to see reporters, strangers, camera people, etc. A year will be a long time to keep your own counsel about how things are going in your life. The Queen could issue a statment regarding the status of the relationship. This would calm gossip and rumors. More importantly, this would relieve the pressure on Kate herself. If the Prince wants to propose or has proposed, that could be shared also. If Prince William and Kate are just friends, which I doubt, that could be told. Without guessing, people would know how to best help and support Kate in the year that Ptince William will be away. I am hoping for a long engagement
By kat on December 31st, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Melissa, CNN.com often updates stories after they’re posted the first time, without noting what’s changed. The only way I know to read further for changes is the time stamp on the top of the piece, similar to what has been happening in the Daily Mail.
But the Daily Mail piece on Kate’s family background morphed more over time than what I usually see in their online version. It does make one wonder what’s going on behind the scenes.
Reports I’m seeing around the web say that Prince William admirably volunteered to work over the Christmas holiday so that returning Iraq veterans could be with their families. He only has a few days off, so rumor now is that W&K won’t be going abroad for an extended period, but will stay in the UK for their New Year celebration.
By Evelyn on December 31st, 2007 at 4:57 pm
John, could you delete my duplicate post? My computer has been doing a lot of that lately.
Thanks much!
By Evelyn on December 31st, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Evelyn, done and dusted — old English idiom.
By John on December 31st, 2007 at 5:07 pm
I agree with you Mellisa and quite enjoy our transatlantic English interplay of texts, spelling and word usages. The cinema (movies) does reveal a differance in senses of humour I am afraid you lot don’t completely understand the English in this respect. If that is all we have to differ on then that’s ok by me.
George Bernard Shaw – and he was Irish, described the US/UK as ‘two great countries divided by a common language’.
By Royalist on December 31st, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Melissa, I correspond with many people in the tech community down in California and Silicon Valley. Sometimes I struggle to understand their jargon. But the hardest to figure out are some Canadians — who still have the Queen as Head of State. Mysterious!
I think the blogosphere is gradually creating a common idiom around the world — but it’s hard going sometimes.
By John on December 31st, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Evelyn, you’ve hit the nail on the head in that the DM piece we’ve been referring to has morphed a great deal more than normal. I do understand the news sites adding more details as a story develops. It seems that CNN and similar sites retain most of the original story when they add bits and pieces as the news progresses. I’m not familiar with the practice of making wholesale changes like those that the DM made in this story. It’s quite remarkable that the story no longer remotely resembles its original posting. Instead, it seems like an all new story. I guess I have the sensibilities of an old-timer, as I had a wonderful (and now dearly departed) old-fashioned journalism professor in college who did things (and expected things to be done) strictly by the book. Of course the internet is a new breed of cat altogether from what was going on in the world of news back in those days.
Royalist and John, I’m glad you, too, enjoy the interplay between our continents and countries. As to the Canadians, perhaps there are those who fondly remember the good old days and prefer to still think of themselves as HM’s subjects.
And John, I’m afraid that I owe you an apology for putting you to work today when you are still unofficially on holiday. I am very sorry!
By Melissa on December 31st, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Melissa, I suspect the answer is that the Mail on Sunday is a different paper to the Daily Mail, so what we’re seeing today is a different version by a separate editorship and cut back as a derived story not an exclusive.
As for working today — to tell you the truth, I’m itching to get back in the saddle again. Is that a good midwestern idiom?
By John on December 31st, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Yes, I would say that is a good midwestern idiom, harkening back to my state’s early heritage, one that is no doubt shared by many of Oklahoma’s neighboring states, as well.
“Back in the Saddle Again” is also an old song sung by Gene Autry, who my maternal grandmother learned was a distant (far distant) relative shortly before she passed away. And the Royals think that they are the only ones with lofty pedigrees. LOL
By Melissa on December 31st, 2007 at 7:49 pm
A very happy and healthy New Year to all our merry group here at Royal Anecdotes! At midnight, Central Standard Time here in the USA, I shall lift a glass of champagne to toast the New Year and to convey my best wishes and warmest blessings to all of you! Many fetes! May God bless us all for Jesus’ sake in the New Year of our lives that is to begin.
By Gigi on December 31st, 2007 at 10:08 pm
Hear, hear, and thank you for the toast, Gigi.
By John on January 1st, 2008 at 1:48 pm
We used to have an old vinyl LP of Gene Autry songs, passed down from grandparents, no doubt. Not forgetting his trusty horse Trigger, of course.
By John on January 1st, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Actually Trigger was Roy Rogers’ horse, John. Champion was the name of Gene Autry’s horse. I used to sing “I’m Back in the Saddle Again” and “Happy Trails to You” to my children when they were little.
I still have my Roy Rogers’ metal lunch box with the painted scene of Roy and Trigger on the front. I also have a photograph of me as a child in my Dale Evans cowgirl outfit, fringe and buckskin, with my holster and sixshooters!
By Gigi on January 1st, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Well, that was quite a while before my time, Gigi. Although I had a lot of hand-me-down stuff about Tom Mix and Hopalong Cassidy — I once thought of changing my name to Hopalong but happily decided against it when 6 years old.
By John on January 1st, 2008 at 3:57 pm
By Gigi on January 1st, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Happy New Year one and all! I’m sorry I haven’t posted for a few days, but I was searching for John’s friends in Boston. I think the snow has driven them underground until the Spring thaw. Perhaps they will poke their heads out on Ground Hog Day to see if there will be six additional weeks of Winter.
Gigi, in my neighborhood it was a standing joke that “good girls” didn’t wear Mary Janes because the shiny black patent leather would reflect up – if you get my drift.
By Arthur on January 1st, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Fie! Arthur!
We all wore Mary Jane’s when we were four and five years old, quite innocently, I assure you.
By Gigi on January 2nd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Gigi, perhaps my memory is fading and it was an older girl named Mary Jane who wore black patent leather shoes that reflected up.
By Arthur on January 2nd, 2008 at 4:55 pm