Difficult Life Ahead

This time, I won't post a review about products or services I'd tried but a person. And because the world seems too preoccupied with the hoopla of the upcoming wedding of Prince William and a commoner woman from the countryside of Berkshire, England, Kate Middleton, I decided to take a look on her personality and her entire suitability. Here, I will give my free opinion regarding what I thought about her.

Anyway, this is purely a personal opinion and not a direct attack on her.

Talking about British monarchy, I am not just blurting unfounded words or opinion, my sources are always credible and official, taken from UK's reputable broadsheets (from their online sites), books I have about the royals and the official site of the British monarchy. So the facts and information I wrote in my ROYAL WORLD blog are all accurate. Through my extensive research about their lives for the past 16 years, more or less, I have concrete basis, back up by history, on what I thought about each member in general. 

In a recent poll survey conducted by UK's Harris (I think this is similar to the Philippines' SWS & PULSE ASIA), more than 50% of British, mostly women, thought Miss Middleton would become a good Queen Consort, but personally I don't think so.....don't raise your eyebrows, this is only my personal opinion, well, I have some backing of history why I say this.

Up to now I am not sure exactly what is the real score of Kate's behavior when it comes to public life, we will know it the moment she joined the most popular royal family in the world anyway. First, I am less than convince if she will really become an effective Queen Consort in the future, as William's wife, maybe yes, but it in terms of possessing qualities of a formidable queen consort just like the Queen Mother, Queen Mary (mother and grand mother of Queen Elizabeth II respectively) and even Queen Margaret (consort of Henry VI), I still cannot see any signs of real strength and independence in her behavior. Well, of course it is not good to compare, but Kate should learn from history.

The trouble with Kate is that she is too dependent with Prince William, well, I never know her personally, but public accounts vigorously say it so, and this is not a good sign for a strong-willed Queen. Okay, her main purpose in life is to really hook the Prince and she succeeded in that part but whether she can stand the rigor of being in the spotlight under the constant media scrutiny remains unseen.

A Queen Consort will not only act as a sweet, smiling and quiet better-half of a King, but will function as monarchy's strong defender. The Queen Mother and Queen Mary are good examples. 

The Queen Mother, who was known as Queen Elizabeth during the reign of her husband, King George VI, had a remarkable strength of character, independent and courageous, she possessed a legendary charm and became her husband's rock during crisis. She made sure her frail and shy husband, whose surprise accession in 1936 after his brother's abdication forced him to embrace public life he dreaded, would be viewed by many as a resolute and stable King despite his speech impediment and nervousness in public, she became the Kingdom's most effective defender and goodwill ambassador. King George VI, according to many accounts, relied heavily on his wife's strength and audacity who made effort to invigorate the disgruntled image of the crown after the scandal and crisis created by King Edward VIII, anybody who attempted to climb the invisible ladder of the highest throne on earth will suffer a terrible fate, Oh, just look on the sad fate of Mrs. Wallis Simpson. During the blitz, the Queen insisted to remain on her husband's side  amidst bombing in London, making Adolf Hitler to comment: " she is the most dangerous woman in Europe".

Queen Mary, wife of King George V, was another courageous Queen Consort who had performed her role astoundingly, she made sure the Kingdom appeared dignified  and well-respected in public, her actions were carefully calculated and functioned in the court as a zealous custodian of royals' reputation and dignity. The public's most lasting memory of this Queen Consort was her lifetime refusal to accept undignified commoners into the royal fold, she was heard calling Mrs. Wallis Simpson as "Edward's unholy lover". Her tough attitude made all the palace officials and even her children quivered with obedience.

Now, back to Miss Middleton...

Though one article in the Daily Mail provided the public with facts about the strong women in Kate Middleton's life who will most likely influence her behavior the moment she will embraced a public life, I am not fully convinced. In the past eight years of forming a relationship with the Prince,  she did nothing,  but to  stalk the Prince, as if she was desperate to become a Princess, the media even dubbed her "waity Kaity". Is she not aware what kind of life she will going to traverse in the British monarchy? Her  lack of confidence would never guarantee her of survival within the system, she should instill some steel in her spine to play her role well. Some people viewed her as too good to be true, her words in the interview after the announcement of the engagement were carefully rehearsed which lacked spontaneity and seemed got her words from a well-written script which cut her out of the league of self-assured women., but when she opened her mouth to give comments on something, her statement seemed taken somewhere that most royal watchers found it too incredulous. I doubt how long she can endure the pretensions.

According to the Daily Mail, though it appeared that the British public, mostly commoners, accepted and loved her well, it is uncertain if the royals felt the same towards here, in fact the Daily Mail polls revealed, Miss Middleton might face snobbery inside the palace whose courtiers and senior members, for a long time, had wished Prince William will marry an aristocrat.

What troubled me with Kate is her behavior of just wanted a plain, dependent housewife. According to Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty Magazine "Kate is a homely woman", if she is marrying a Chief Executive Officer of a company, that would be fine and surely very ideal, but she is marrying a future King whose Kingdom cannot afford to have a wife who just spend her day in cross-stitching or checking what's new in the cooking channel. She has a role to perform, a role that is very much public, being so overtly ordinary won't help her to last up to the finishing line.

In fact Palace aides have grown "secretly" impatient with her so common behavior, background and, oh, comments. When they heard that the future Princess William blurted out-of-the-blue comments from the question on her "too skinny" physique, the palace aides rushed to their feet "that was off-the-cut comments", so they made a quick "renovation" on her oh-so-common personality which includes the changing of her name from Kate to Catherine, prohibiting to grant interviews without consulting the palace officials, deleted her interview on her family business website where she talked about "party" events in her life  which may harm the image of the monarchy in the long run. The courtiers, whose main responsibility in life is to protect the throne, did everything they could to guide her on her future role. 

Her carefully-rehearsed steps sound too scripted bordering on pretensions which lacked confidence, no wonder, results of poll surveys doubted if the royal family will really comfortable having her as immediate member. Some aristocrats reportedly are anxious with her sometimes "unsure" nerve in public. The most puzzling public opinion is the royal family's lack of enthusiasm on the upcoming wedding according to the Daily Mail, while the rest of the people in the world are wrapped with anticipation and excitement on the event, members of the royal family are reportedly not remarkably happy...ohhhhh!

Catherine, by now, should understand that she is joining a family ruled by unyielding conventions, the palace courtiers protected the Kingdom's image and reputation never mind who will be caught in the cross fire. By the way, Prince William will be the first future King of Britain to marry a middle class woman. Her mother was badly criticized in the media for lack of social etiquette and for uttering the word "toilet" instead of "lavatory".

Miss Middleton's future title will depend on William's title. If the Prince will not be created a Duke by the Queen, she will be known as Princess William of Wales, if the Prince in case be given a title of a Duke, then she will become a Duchess and will leap to the highest position of precedence in the realm, wow! hardly social climbing.

The royal wedding will happen on April 29, 2011 at 11:00 o'clock in the morning at Westminster Abbey.