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2020 - Victory for Kate Middleton** as society bible Tatler caves in on its 'cruel, snobbish, woman-shaming demolition job' – by deleting barbs about Carole, Pippa… and a poster of Prince William on the future Duchess's bedroom wall
By Emily Andrews Royal Editor For The Mail On Sunday Published: 22:17, 19th September 2020 | Updated: 20th September 2020
- Tatler has cut huge swathes from its online profile of the Duchess of Cambridge after the society bible was accused of publishing a 'string of lies'.
- The magazine has caved in and removed almost a quarter of the piece – in particular 'cruel' and 'snobby' barbs aimed at Kate's mother Carole Middleton and sister Pippa.
- It comes after Kensington Palace instructed its lawyers to demand the 'inaccuracies and false representations' be removed.
- Tatler has cut huge swathes from its online profile of the Duchess of Cambridge after the society bible was accused of publishing a 'string of lies'.
The magazine has caved in and removed almost a quarter of the piece – in particular 'cruel' and 'snobby' barbs aimed at Kate's mother Carole Middleton and sister Pippa. It comes after Kensington Palace instructed its lawyers to demand the 'inaccuracies and false representations' be removed. But The Mail on Sunday understands it was the criticism of the Middleton family that caused the greatest upset. Initially, Tatler refused to remove anything from the internet, despite Palace fury, with editor Richard Dennen insisting he stood 'behind the reporting of Anna Pasternak and her sources'. However, the Cambridges' lawyers pointed out that Kensington Palace had not been given the opportunity to comment on the specific content of Ms Pasternak's feature, much of which was disputed. Eventually both sides agreed that chunks would be cut from the online profile, which was done this week – four months after its publication.
The erased paragraphs include claims that William was obsessed with his mother-in-law, that Carole, 65, is 'a terrible snob' and that Pippa, 37, is 'too regal and try-hard'. The only reference Tatler has made to the climbdown is a sentence at the end of the piece, saying it has been edited. One of the claims that most angered the Cambridges was the comparison of 'perilously thin' Kate to Princess Diana, who famously struggled with eating disorders throughout her life.
Tatler has cut huge swathes from its online profile of the Duchess of Cambridge (right) after the society bible was accused of publishing a 'string of lies'. It comes after Kensington Palace instructed its lawyers to demand the 'inaccuracies and false representations' be removed - image and strapline as it appeared in the Daily Mail/Mail Online - image © PA
At the time, a Royal source said: 'That is such an extremely cruel and wounding barb. It's disgusting. It's sexist and woman-shaming at its very worst. 'The piece is full of lies. There is no truth to their claim that the Duchess feels overwhelmed with work, nor that the Duke is obsessed with Carole Middleton. It's preposterous. 'The whole thing is class snobbery. Tatler may think it's immune from action as it's read by the Royals and on every coffee table in every smart home. But it makes no difference. It's ironic that the Royals' favourite magazine is now being trashed by them. 'The Duchess is a naturally shy woman who is doing her best.' A source close to the magazine's publisher Condé Nast said: 'Tatler has a long-standing relationship with the Royal Family and wanted to end this amicably.' A spokesman for Kensington Palace declined to comment.
WHAT IT SAID: Yet, privately, said another friend, 'Kate is furious about the larger workload [caused by Harry and Meghan quitting]. Of course she's smiling and dressing appropriately but she doesn't want this. She feels exhausted and trapped. She's working as hard as a top CEO, who has to be wheeled out all the time, without the benefits of boundaries and plenty of holidays.
NOW: Paragraph erased
WHAT IT SAID: It's been a rapid ascent for a girl born into an upper-middle-class family in Reading. She and her siblings attended Marlborough, thanks to her parents' thriving mail-order business, and while there she had a poster of Prince William on her wall.
NOW: Reference to the Prince William poster, which Kate has previously denied, has been erased
WHAT IT SAID: Another country grandee says: 'I've heard that Prince William is obsessed with Carole. She's the mummy he always wanted.' Yet it's Carole, with what some call her Hyacinth Bucket aspirations of grandeur, who, rumour has it, puts people's backs up in a way Kate does not. Some people have apparently found her exacting. A skilled craftsman who worked on Anmer Hall, William and Kate's country home, and is used to a roster of prestigious and potentially tricky customers, said that he found Carole 'the most difficult client' he had ever worked with: 'She was exceedingly demanding, fussy and questioned everything.' Carole has put her stamp on Anmer décor-wise. Far from being a typical aristo abode, with threadbare rugs and dog hair everywhere, like, say, Windsor and Balmoral, it is, according to a visitor, 'like a gleaming five-star hotel, with cushions plumped and candles lit'. Another adds: 'It's very Buckinghamshire.'
NOW: Entire section erased
WHAT IT SAID: While Kate has praised her close family and happy childhood, there's no denying that Carole is a formidable matriarch. 'Carole is a terrible snob,' alleges a friend of Donna Air, ex-girlfriend of Kate's brother, James. 'Donna is really a lovely girl, but Carole got quite grand.' She adds: 'Carole is the masterminding force between those girls.'
NOW: Paragraph erased
WHAT IT SAID: Kate and her sister, Pippa, remain the closest of confidantes, presumably because it feels safe. 'Pippa now speaks like the Queen, too, and is absolutely paranoid about the paparazzi,' says one of her circle. 'She refers to her sister as Catherine or 'the duchess' in public, which feels too regal and try-hard. Pippa is a bit lost now and is struggling to find her place. She's always in the shadow as someone's sister or someone's wife. But they are all utterly loyal to each other. The Middleton family will always close ranks. None of them can quite believe that they have hit the jackpot, so between Kate, Pippa and Carole there is an unspoken bond. A sort of 'We have to bring it to fruition at all costs'.'
NOW: Paragraph erased
WHAT IT SAID: Then there's her 'Turnip Toff' crowd, the Norfolk Sloanes, including Sophie Carter and Robert Snuggs, who live near Anmer Hall. And the Cambridges' glamorous Houghton Hall neighbours, Rose Hanbury and her husband, the Marquess of Cholmondeley.
NOW: Paragraph erased
WHAT IT SAID: Outwardly, it seems that with years of scrutinising public pressure Kate has become perilously thin, just like some point out – Princess Diana. One could argue that Kate is naturally slim and indeed, like Pippa, a vigorous exerciser. Or perhaps her size is down to the stress of being a multitasking mother of three – one countenancing the additional worries of defending a Royal Family seemingly under siege. 'William is absolutely incandescent about Megxit,' a courtier confides. 'Every time the Sussexes issue a statement, it hits everyone like a fresh bombshell. The Cambridges are left reeling like everyone else. Everyone is terribly worried about how this is affecting the Queen.'
NOW: Paragraph erased
WHAT IT SAID: [Kate] is a royal ballast, William's most trusted adviser, and someone who puts duty above all else. Endearingly, following the spirit of Diana, both William and Kate consult psychics. A medium who went to Kensington Palace to 'channel' for them found William to be 'open-hearted and lovely'. Kate, while scrupulously polite, was more 'shut-down'. Maybe she was merely going through the motions to appease her husband?
NOW: [Kate] is a royal ballast, William's most trusted adviser, and someone who puts duty above all else. Whatever the truth, as the woman behind the man who will reign from what William Churchill called 'the greatest throne in history', Kate has emerged as the ultimate power player.
** Now all these 'in the know' just need to start addressing the former Miss Kate Middleton by her preferred and royal title Her Royal Highness, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge which was bestowed on her at the time of her marriage to His Royal Highness, Prince William of Wales, Duke of Cambridge - there, is that so difficult? No 'Call me Harry' here!
2020 - Kate Middleton remains 'hurt and upset' by Tatler article and 'never saw it coming'
Kate Middleton remains 'hurt and upset' by Tatler article and 'never saw it coming' because society bible editor Richard Dennen is 'a close friend from St Andrews' and the pair holidayed together twice, report claims
- Duchess of Cambridge, 38, was on same art history course as Richard Dennen
- Chicago-born Dennen reportedly guest at her and William's wedding in 2011
- Tatler editor-in-chief said he 'stands by' writer Anna Pasternak and her sources
- Article claimed Kate felt 'trapped and exhausted' and took aim at her weight
By Hayley Richardson For Mailonline | Published: 4th June 2020 | Updated: 4th June 2020
Kate Middleton remains 'hurt and upset' by an article published in society bible Tatler and 'never saw it coming' because the magazine's editor-in-chief is a 'close friend from the St Andrews set' who has holidayed with her twice, a report claims. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have filed legal action against the magazine after it published a 'string of lies' about Kate, 38, including claims she feels 'exhausted and trapped' in the Royal Family and fell out with Meghan Markle in a row over whether Princess Charlotte should wear tights as a bridesmaid at her wedding. The writer of the piece, journalist Anna Pasternak, described Kate as having 'an aura of blandness' and claimed she has developed a 'posher' accent after being born a commoner. In a highly unusual move, the couple sent legal letters to the magazine demanding its profile of the Duchess – headlined 'Catherine the Great' – be removed from the internet.
According The Sun, Kate was 'shocked' by the 'unpleasant' article because Tatler's editor-in-chief Richard Dennen is an old friend of hers from St Andrews University. Chicago-born Dennen was on the same art history course as Kate and reportedly lived two streets away. The pair even went to France together in 2004, while Kate and William were on a break from their relationship. In 2015 Dennen shared a now-deleted candid photo of Kate eating a sandwich at an airport, which he posted with the caption: 'Before life got serious and we still ate wheat and flew economy,' and the hashtags #TheCourtJester and #TheKensingtonCrew. Although Dennen claims he has only met William twice, it is believed he was a guest at the 2011 Royal Wedding and both receptions. Dennen has previously described Kate as 'very measured, very controlled'. He told CNN in 2011: 'That is perfect because you don't want someone who's going to be falling out on the Kings Road face down, wasted after a boozy session. 'There was this nightclub that everyone went to called Boujis and she was famous for always nipping into the bathroom, checking her hair and make-up before she left because she knew there were photographers waiting outside.'
A source told the publication the Duchess feels 'betrayed' and 'never saw this coming'. They added: 'There are a lot of unanswered questions, particularly who said these things to Tatler because her real friends would never talk that way about her.' In response to Kensington Palace's complaints, a spokesperson for Tatler said the complaint had 'no merit' and that 'Editor-in-chief Richard Dennen stands behind the reporting of Pasternak and her sources'. 'Kensington Palace knew we were running the "Catherine the Great" cover months ago and we asked them to work together on it,' they said. 'The fact they are denying they ever knew is categorically false.' The article makes reference to the eating disorders suffered by William's mother Princess Diana, saying: 'Kate has become perilously thin, just like – some point out – Princes Diana.' The palace is particularly 'furious' about claims that Kate feels 'exhausted and trapped' by the increased workload following Harry and Meghan's decision to step back. The profile takes aim at Kate's taste and her family, sneeringly describing the Cambridges' Anmer Hall home in Norfolk as 'very Buckinghamshire'.
Carole has put her stamp on Anmer decor-wise,' it claims. 'Far from being a typical aristo abode, with threadbare rugs and dog hair everywhere, like, say, Windsor and Balmoral, it is, according to a visitor, 'like a gleaming five-star hotel, with cushions plumped and candles lit'.' It also labels Mrs Middleton 'a terrible snob' and snipes at Kate's younger sister Pippa as 'too regal and try-hard... A bit lost now and is struggling to find her place'. William is also believed to be upset by the suggestion that Carole Middleton has become 'the mummy he's always wanted', feeling it is incredibly disrespectful to his late mother. To the anger of Kensington Palace, Ms Pasternak asserts that the Cambridges feel very tired because they have been forced to take on more Royal duties after Megxit. The article cites a source as saying: 'Kate is furious about the larger workload… She feels exhausted and trapped. She's working as hard as a top CEO, who has to be wheeled out all the time, without the benefits of boundaries and plenty of holidays.'
But figures in the Court Circular, the official record of Royal engagements, suggest otherwise. The couple have done a similar number of jobs from January to March as they did over the same period last year. Kate has actually done less – 29 this year against 35 in 2019.
The Duke and Duchess are also said to be upset about criticism of her family and her children. A Royal source told The Mail on Sunday: 'That is such an extremely cruel and wounding barb. It's disgusting. It's sexist and woman-shaming at its very worst. 'The piece is full of lies. There is no truth to their claim that the Duchess feels overwhelmed with work, nor that the Duke is obsessed with Carole Middleton. It's preposterous and downright wrong. 'The whole thing is class snobbery at its very worst. The stuff about [Kate's sister] Pippa is horrible. Tatler may think it's immune from action as it's read by the Royals and on every coffee table in every smart home, but it makes no difference. 'It's ironic that the Royals' favourite magazine is being trashed by them. The Duchess is a naturally shy woman who is doing her best.'
Earlier this week it emerged married mother-of-one Ms Pasternak is reportedly friends with former Tatler journalist Vanessa Mulroney, who is the sister-in-law of Meghan's best friend Jessica Mulroney. A source told the Sun: 'Pasternak's article caused immense unnecessary pain for Kate and its central claim that she felt trapped and unhappy was wildly untrue. 'Pasternak is sticking to her story and saying her sources are good. She is very well connected in the US. She is friends with Vanessa Mulroney who used to work at Tatler and now lives in Canada. 'And Vanessa's sister-in-law Jessica is Meghan's best friend. It's intriguing.'
Oxford-educated Ms Pasternak, who lives in Oxfordshire with her husband Andrew and daughter Daisy, is a vastly experienced journalist who has written for every UK national newspaper. She wrote a recent book on Wallis Simpson called The American Duchess and 1994's Princess In Love about Princess Diana's affair with James Hewitt.
2020 - The Cambridges Response to Tatler
Quite correctly the Cambridges are seeking reparation and removal of the article (not damages) - Anna Pasternak has let herself and 'Tatler' (so close to Tatty and Tetley) down, 'Tatler' are a bit naive to continue supporting her. They should eat humble pie and beg the future monarchs pardon!
Kate and William to sue Tatler over 'cruel, sexist and woman-shaming' article that criticised her weight, parenting and claimed she felt 'thrown under the bus' by Harry and Meghan
- Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to take legal action against Tatler magazine
- They have sent legal letters to magazine about its 'Catherine the Great' piece
- Kate is said to be upset about criticism of her family, her children and her weight
- Tatler's article claims Kate had spat with Meghan ahead of wedding with Harry
By Emily Andrews Royal Editor for The Mail On Sunday | Published: 30th May 2020 | Updated: 1st June 2020
The palace is particularly 'furious' about claims that Kate feels 'exhausted and trapped' by the increased workload following Harry and Meghan's decision to step back - image and strapline courtesy of the Daily Mail
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are understood to be taking legal action against society bible Tatler magazine after it published a 'string of lies' about Kate. In a highly unusual move, the couple have sent legal letters to the magazine demanding its profile of the Duchess – headlined 'Catherine the Great' – be removed from the internet. It comes after Kensington Palace issued a fiercely critical statement on last week's article which it said contained a 'swathe of inaccuracies and false representations'. The palace is particularly 'furious' about claims that Kate feels 'exhausted and trapped' by the increased workload following Harry and Meghan's decision to step back.
The Duke and Duchess are also said to be upset about criticism of her family, her children and her weight. The article, written by author Anna Pasternak, makes reference to the eating disorders suffered by William's mother Princess Diana, saying: 'Kate has become perilously thin, just like – some point out – Princes Diana.' A Royal source told The Mail on Sunday: 'That is such an extremely cruel and wounding barb. It's disgusting. It's sexist and woman-shaming at its very worst. 'The piece is full of lies. There is no truth to their claim that the Duchess feels overwhelmed with work, nor that the Duke is obsessed with Carole Middleton. It's preposterous and downright wrong. 'The whole thing is class snobbery at its very worst. The stuff about [Kate's sister] Pippa is horrible. Tatler may think it's immune from action as it's read by the Royals and on every coffee table in every smart home, but it makes no difference. 'It's ironic that the Royals' favourite magazine is being trashed by them. The Duchess is a naturally shy woman who is doing her best.'
Tatler's article also claims that Kate, 38, had a spat with Meghan Markle ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. It says the clash took place at a rehearsal two days before the big day and centred on whether Princess Charlotte and the other young bridesmaids should wear tights. Quoting an unnamed friend, the article says: 'There was an incident at the wedding rehearsal. It was a hot day and apparently there was a row over whether the bridesmaids should wear tights or not. 'Kate, following protocol, felt that they should. Meghan didn't want them to. The photographs suggest that Meghan won.' But Kensington Palace insists the story is wrong. Instead, The Mail on Sunday understands that the fall-out was over Meghan's reaction to Kate's request that the hem of Charlotte's dress be lengthened. The resulting row left Kate in tears. The profile takes aim at Kate's taste and her family, sneeringly describing the Cambridges' Anmer Hall home in Norfolk as 'very Buckinghamshire'. 'Carole has put her stamp on Anmer decor-wise,' it claims. 'Far from being a typical aristo abode, with threadbare rugs and dog hair everywhere, like, say, Windsor and Balmoral, it is, according to a visitor, 'like a gleaming five-star hotel, with cushions plumped and candles lit'.' It also labels Mrs Middleton 'a terrible snob' and snipes at Kate's younger sister Pippa as 'too regal and try-hard... A bit lost now and is struggling to find her place'.
To the anger of Kensington Palace, Ms Pasternak asserts that the Cambridges feel very tired because they have been forced to take on more Royal duties after Megxit. The article cites a source as saying: 'Kate is furious about the larger workload… She feels exhausted and trapped. She's working as hard as a top CEO, who has to be wheeled out all the time, without the benefits of boundaries and plenty of holidays.' But figures in the Court Circular, the official record of Royal engagements, suggest otherwise. The couple have done a similar number of jobs from January to March as they did over the same period last year. Kate has actually done less – 29 this year against 35 in 2019.
In a statement issued after the article was published, Kensington Palace said: 'This story contains a swathe of inaccuracies and false misrepresentations which were not put to Kensington Palace prior to publication.' Hitting back, Tatler then issued its own statement, saying: 'Tatler's Editor-in-Chief Richard Dennen stands behind the reporting of Anna Pasternak and her sources. 'Kensington Palace knew we were running the 'Catherine the Great' cover months ago and we asked them to work together on it. The fact they are denying they ever knew is categorically false.' The Mail on Sunday understands that Tatler approached Kensington Palace in February to ask if Kate would pose for their cover or provide an exclusive cover photo. That request was politely declined and it is understood that Kensington Palace was not offered the chance to comment on the specific content of Ms Pasternak's article.
Tatler did not respond to a Mail on Sunday request for comment and Kensington Palace declined to comment.
2020 - Catherine the Great - Tatler
HRH The Duchess of Cambridge is crowned Catherine the Great on the July/August cover
Kate Middleton's star is going stratospheric as the country looks to the monarchy for morale. Anna Pasternak charts her ascent
By Anna Pasternak - Monday 25th May 2020
Has the Duchess of Cambridge suddenly become one of the most influential women in the world?
Front and centre of the new, slimmed-down monarchy, Kate hasn't put an LK Bennett-shod foot out of place in the nine years she has been William's wife. That was clear as the coronavirus outbreak became a pandemic and she took on extra royal duties – making public appearances remotely as the country went into lockdown. There she was, clapping for the NHS, speaking to primary-school children over Zoom, offering support to the new Nightingale hospital by telephone from Kensington Palace and giving relatable interviews about the challenges of home schooling. William seems adrift when Kate is not by his side (take the awkwardly wooden Children in Need skit he attempted with Stephen Fry, for example). Kate is, some argue, a kingmaker. Certainly royal courtiers have murmured their approval. 'Kate understands that the only credo of the Royal Family is duty, duty, duty,' says one. 'Whereas with the Sussexes it is constant uncertainty, [the Cambridges] represent stability and continuity.' It's easy to forget, with the all-encompassing threat and disruption of the coronavirus crisis, that this tumultuous time follows an extremely busy period for William and Kate. In the wake of Harry and Meghan standing down as senior royals and seeking exile in North America, Kate took on 11 royal engagements in a month – three in the space of 24 hours. It was a gruelling attempt to buffer the barrage of bad news destabilising the House of Windsor on a near-daily basis: the divorces (the Queen's nephew Lord Snowdon and her grandson Peter Phillips); Prince Andrew's mortifying fall from grace; the Sussexes' surly press statements; and those naff Chinese milk adverts. Amid it all, Kate has emerged serene and smiling. Out went safe shift dresses, in came silk pussy-bow blouses and softer blow dries. Everywhere, there was talk of Kate, opening up on podcasts about 'mum guilt'. As a good friend of hers points out, 'Kate knows what the country needs and wants. Championing how to raise your children is perfect.' Yet, privately, said another friend, 'Kate is furious about the larger workload. Of course she's smiling and dressing appropriately but she doesn't want this. She feels exhausted and trapped. She's working as hard as a top CEO, who has to be wheeled out all the time, without the benefits of boundaries and plenty of holidays.' Some say that beneath the yummy-mummy exterior is a spine of steel; that, in many ways, she's reminiscent of the late Queen Mother, whom Cecil Beaton described as 'a marshmallow made on a welding machine'. Because surviving, let alone thriving, in the House of Windsor is no mean feat.
Was it Kate who advised William on his recent modernising speeches and causes while toning down her own rigid body language? Was she instrumental in William's jarringly woke 'inclusivity' Bafta speech? Has seeing Meghan exit stage left from royal life played to Kate's advantage? Is the royal once dubbed the Duchess of Dolittle because she had so few public engagements stealthily establishing herself as kingmaker – the person to save, and salve, the monarchy? In many ways, it's difficult to get a true sense of the real Duchess of Cambridge – so determined does she seem to project an aura of blandness as part of her regal persona. When I broach the subject, I hear the same sentiments from others, from royal insiders to society figures: 'I just don't know who she is.' One member of the young royal set says: 'I've spent quite a lot of time around Kate and she is impenetrable. There is nothing to like or dislike.' Yet, the source continues, 'she has a ruthless survival streak, just like the House of Windsor. It's why she is so well suited. She keeps her head down because the prize of being queen is so great. She models herself on the Queen and now speaks like the Queen.' It's been a rapid ascent for a girl born into an upper-middle-class family in Reading. She and her siblings attended Marlborough, thanks to her parents' thriving mail-order business, and while there she had a poster of Prince William on her wall. Then in 2001, at university – Sloane central, St Andrews, where she read history of art – she met William. She reputedly mixed with an almost exclusively grand set and famously appeared in a sheer dress on the student catwalk.
Dating William for several years earned her the cruel nickname Waity Katy from the press. The waiting paid off – they married in fairy-tale splendour in 2011 – but the sniping persisted. 'In the beginning it was quite difficult for Kate as she wasn't born into those circles,' says a royal insider. She suffered the indignity of the 'doors to manual' jibe (a reference to her mother Carole's former role as an air hostess) and needles about her 'common' family background – Carole being 'NQOCD' (Not Quite Our Class, Darling) for having been born in a council flat in Southall and descended from Durham coal-mining stock. Plus, horror of horrors, Carole allegedly 'chewed gum' during William's passing-out ceremony at the Sandhurst military academy. Worse yet, Carole's brother, Kate's uncle Gary, is a flamboyant boulevardier on his fourth marriage. He owned a villa in Ibiza, where Kate and William stayed, called La Maison de Bang Bang, and was a victim of a News of the World drugs sting (he said he was manipulated and set up). Yet Kate has never complained about her press drubbing nor disinvited dodgy relatives from her wedding. There seems to exist within her a genuine stoicism. But one wonders if the criticism gets her down.
Notably, in 2013, the Man Booker-winning novelist Hilary Mantel sparked outrage when she gave a lecture in which she described Kate as 'gloss-varnished'. In what the press called a 'vicious' and 'venomous' attack, Mantel said: 'Kate seems to have been selected for her role of princess because she was irreproachable; as painfully thin as anyone could wish, without quirks, oddities, without the risk of emergence of character.' In fact, the lecture provoked such a maelstrom of opinion that the then prime minister, David Cameron, took time out of a trip to India to refute the 'completely misguided and completely wrong' summation of the Duchess of Cambridge and what Mantel called her 'perfect plastic smile'. No doubt it stung, but Kate bore it silently. In crisis, friends say, Kate retreats to the protective embrace of her family. Her commendable backbone comes from her mother. 'They are a very close family and totally united,' says a friend of the Middletons. It helps that in William's eyes Carole and Michael Middleton can do no wrong. 'He absolutely adores them. Michael is charming. Really kind, soft and gentle. William loves going to the country to stay with them. Their family life is so soothing for him as it's so different from his own family.' Another country grandee says: 'I've heard that Prince William is obsessed with Carole. She's the mummy he always wanted.' Yet it's Carole, with what some call her Hyacinth Bucket aspirations of grandeur, who, rumour has it, puts people's backs up in a way Kate does not. Some people have apparently found her exacting.
A skilled craftsman who worked on Anmer Hall, William and Kate's country home, and is used to a roster of prestigious and potentially tricky customers, said that he found Carole 'the most difficult client' he had ever worked with: 'She was exceedingly demanding, fussy and questioned everything.' Carole has put her stamp on Anmer decor-wise. Far from being a typical aristo abode, with threadbare rugs and dog hair everywhere, like, say, Windsor and Balmoral, it is, according to a visitor, 'like a gleaming five-star hotel, with cushions plumped and candles lit'. Another adds: 'It's very Buckinghamshire.' While Kate has praised her close family and happy childhood, there's no denying that Carole is a formidable matriarch. 'Carole is a terrible snob,' alleges a friend of Donna Air, ex-girlfriend of Kate's brother, James. 'Donna is a really lovely girl, but Carole got quite grand.' She adds: 'Carole is the masterminding force between those girls.' Kate and her sister, Pippa, remain the closest of confidantes, presumably because it feels safe. 'Pippa now speaks like the Queen, too, and is absolutely paranoid about the paparazzi,' says one of her circle. 'She refers to her sister as Catherine or "the duchess" in public, which feels too regal and try-hard. Pippa is a bit lost now and is struggling to find her place. She's always in the shadow as someone's sister or someone's wife. But they are all utterly loyal to each other. The Middleton family will always close ranks. None of them can quite believe that they have hit the jackpot, so between Kate, Pippa and Carole there is an unspoken bond. A sort of "We have to bring it to fruition at all costs".' When it comes to the Middletons, continues the friend, 'The big thing in their family is control.' Another member of their circle concurs: 'In person, Catherine is a bit warmer and slightly more fun than in public, but you are aware that she is always aware of how careful she has to be. There is a level of control that she has to retain. I don't think she'd know how to fully let her guard down now, even if she wanted to.' It's true that when she speaks, in her carefully modulated voice (coached with the help of the late Anthony Gordon Lennox, Old Etonian nephew of the Duke of Richmond – friends say that Kate's accent became 'posher' at Marlborough and that now she sounds 'even more plummy than William'), she says all the right things, and more often prefers to be called Catherine.
But where is the passion? Maybe this is a defence against appearing like Diana, Princess of Wales, who put The Firm's backs up by being over-emotional, volatile, vulnerable and skittishly complex. But God, she was loved for it. Publicly, Kate may not inspire Lady Di levels of adoration, but she certainly has a following: a big one. And as time has gone on, the other royals have developed great respect for her because she's doing the job so well. 'She doesn't create press headaches or court scandal, which, given everything else that is going on, is an almighty relief,' says a courtier. Her loyalty has been noted and duly rewarded. In 2018, the Queen bestowed on her granddaughter-in-law the Royal Family Order. One of the highest orders that the monarch can bestow upon a female member of the Royal Family, this is undoubtedly well deserved. Not everyone is pro Kate. It's no secret that the royal sisters-in-law never got on. 'I don't think that she ever pulled Meghan under her wing and said, "I'll show you the ropes,"' says a friend. 'Catherine and William were very circumspect from the beginning about Meghan, which hurt and incensed Harry. William rightly cautioned Harry to slow the relationship down. That's why they all fell out. As the rift got deeper between the brothers, Kate, who used to be so close to Harry, tried to pacify things. But her loyalty will always be to William.' 'Then there was an incident at the wedding rehearsal,' another friend of the Cambridges' claims. 'It was a hot day and apparently there was a row over whether the bridesmaids should wear tights or not. Kate, following protocol, felt that they should. Meghan didn't want them to.' The photographs suggest that Meghan won. Kate, who has impeccable manners, sought the opportunity to put Meghan in her place, reprimanding her for speaking imperiously to her Kensington Palace staff. 'In the palace, you hear numerous stories of the staff saying so-and-so is a nightmare and behaves badly but you never hear that about Kate,' says a royal insider. Another courtier says: 'Kate keeps her staff whereas Meghan doesn't. Doesn't that say everything?' Kate's loyalty extends to a coterie of friends that is incredibly small, tight-knit and long-standing. Yet you never see her out lunching with girlfriends, as we did Diana, papped, giggling on the steps of San Lorenzo. Her group, on the face of it, appears more staid – or cautious. 'Kate is one of us in the sense that all her friends are Sloanes and aristocrats,' says one of her group. 'She's very much decided that that's her tribe, even though she wasn't actually born into that background.'
Commendably, she's kept her girlfriends from Marlborough, including Emilia Jardine Patterson and Trini Foyle, as well as blending with William's friends such as Lady Laura Meade and her husband, James Meade, and Thomas van Straubenzee and his wife, Lucy Lanigan O'Keeffe, who teaches at Thomas's Battersea, where Charlotte and George go to school. Then there's her 'Turnip Toff' crowd, the Norfolk Sloanes, including Sophie Carter and Robert Snuggs, who live near Anmer Hall. And the Cambridges' glamorous Houghton Hall neighbours, Rose Hanbury and her husband, the Marquess of Cholmondeley – with whom there was an alleged falling-out last year, over Rose's apparent closeness to William. The whole of Norfolk was agog and the story spilled over into the newspapers. No party has commented publicly on the matter. Outwardly, it seems that with years of scrutinising public pressure Kate has become perilously thin, just like – some point out – Princess Diana. One could argue that Kate is naturally slim and indeed, like Pippa, a vigorous exerciser. Or perhaps her size is down to the stress of being a multitasking mother of three – one countenancing the additional worries of defending a Royal Family seemingly under siege. 'William is absolutely incandescent about Megxit,' a courtier confides. 'Every time the Sussexes issue a statement, it hits everyone like a fresh bombshell. The Cambridges are left reeling like everyone else. Everyone is terribly worried about how this is affecting the Queen.' Then there's the matter of the Sussexes' awful timing. As the Queen gave a historic speech urging the public to adhere to the government's pleas for self-isolation – and on the day the prime minister was taken to hospital gravely ill from the coronavirus – Harry and Meghan chose to announce a new charity endeavour, Archewell, from their haven in LA. 'Meghan and Harry have been so selfish,' says a friend of the Cambridges. 'William and Catherine really wanted to be hands-on parents and the Sussexes have effectively thrown their three children under a bus. There goes their morning school runs as the responsibilities on them now are enormous.' More's the pity. For it is Kate's presentation as an everywoman that has endeared her to the public lately.
There she was, catching the £73 Flybe flight to Scotland; expertly making roulade alongside Mary Berry on TV last Christmas; popping into the pub with her fellow school mums in Chelsea; and, during a visit to a children's centre in Cardiff, talking about feeling lonely as a new mother. There she was too at the school gates. One mother at Thomas's says: 'Kate has grown in my esteem because she is genuinely involved with the school. She does the drop-off herself, comes to coffee mornings and even queues to get her own coffee after drop-off, like the other mothers.' Which, of course, she is, and she isn't. Perhaps Mantel had it right about Kate – up to a point. The aura of blandness is practised. In her future role as queen consort, her enigmatic containment will enhance her sovereignty. She is a royal ballast, William's most trusted adviser, and someone who puts duty above all else.
Endearingly, following the spirit of Diana, both William and Kate consult psychics. A medium who went to Kensington Palace to 'channel' for them found William to be 'open-hearted and lovely'. Kate, while scrupulously polite, was more 'shut-down'. Maybe she was merely going through the motions to appease her husband? Whatever the truth, as the woman behind the man who will reign from what Winston Churchill called 'the greatest throne in history', Kate has emerged as the ultimate power player. Underestimate Queen Catherine at your peril. The July/August issue of Tatler, on newsstands on Thursday 28th May.
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