Is Kate Middleton’s disappearance a signal of trouble in the royal family? Insiders suggest, the Duchess of Cambridge fears the comparison to Princess Diana along with the cheating scandals and stress of the royal demands. As the frequency of her absences grows, so does the concern for Kate and William’s marriage.
The media are having a field day with Kate Middleton’s absence at the wedding of socialite Daisy Dickson and Bear Maclean. The Duchess skipped the event, sending Prince William and her sister, Pippa Middleton, as William’s chaperone for the weekend wedding event. The Duke of Cambridge, who works a 4 days on 4 days of schedule spent the bulk of his time off making the 6 hour drive to and from the event; staying overnight to participate in the entire weekend celebration.
Common sense and reasoning would suggest the Kate is breastfeeding Princess Charlotte, and didn’t want to disrupt her entire weekend schedule of feeding to attend a wedding. However, it’s undeniable that at one point – Kate Middleton had planned on attending the wedding. Sources are divided among the media, some claiming Kate had snubbed the wedding last minute, others insisting she had informed the couple two weeks in advance according to Daily Mail. Regardless of the timing of her snub, the Duchess had planned on attending but changed her mind.
Perhaps Kate’s lack of attendance wouldn’t be so concerning if the Duchess of Cambridge was prevalent at other social events or royal appearances. However, she is noticeably absent from William’s side more and more often. The Daily Mail notes the reduction in the royal couple’s attendance to events has been “drastic.”
Prince William has been showing up to social soirees, including bachelor parties, while Kate appears to be missing from the public eye. Is Prince William trying to grasp at his past lifestyle of blowing off steam and having so much fun he chipped a tooth at a his best pal’s wedding reception? If that is Kate’s fear, it would explain Pippa Middleton’s presence. As CDL covered, the Duchess has reportedly been controlling William’s schedule; declining his attendance to a vacation with friends and shooting trip planned as far out as December with no reason or excuse.
It’s reminiscent of Princess Diana attempting to put an end to Prince Charles’ love of the bachelor lifestyle. Diana had effectively kicked some of Charles’ partying pals out of Highgrove while trying to juggle her media circus along with Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles’ affair. Prince William and Kate Middleton have had their marital ups and downs, too. The royal couple separated for month during Kate’s pregnancy with Princess Charlotte. Eventually, Queen Elizabeth intervened and Kate returned to Prince William’s side and their home at Kensington Palace, while the royals played off the separation as a second round of hyperemesis gravidarum.
Palace aides insist Kate Middleton hates the comparisons between her and Princess Diana, but it’s hard to ignore her penchant for evoking the memory of Diana. Princess Charlotte’s christening was filled with nods to the former Princess. Not to mention, Prince George is constantly donning clothes nearly identical to the outfits Diana had dressed a young Prince William in.
Despite the fact that Prince William appears to have bowed to just about every one of the Middleton Rules, as the Daily Mail claims a small and influential group of figures at Buckingham Palace puts it, the signals of trouble are hard to ignore. Kate is slowly being painted as arrogant and recluse, while Prince William attempts to either shoulder the weight of the social calendar or escape the Middleton dominated world of Anmer Hall.
Prince William likely went into his relationships with a jaded view after watching his mother endure the tribulations of the royal lifestyle and Prince Charles’ behavior break her down. William was often his mother’s shoulder to cry, and Diana rarely held back when it came to talking about her troubles with the young royal. It was said that Princess Diana would cuddling with William and whisper all her worries into his ear.
Watching his mother suffer, William attempted to make sure his wife would not endure the same treatment. Perhaps that is why Prince William ultimately ended up with Kate Middleton. The royal embraced the Middleton’s middleclass values which would help establish a protection and normalcy for William’s family. The Duchess is still scrutinized from shiny head of glossy hair to her wedge-encased toes, but at least Kate has over seven years of enduring the stress of royal demands, whereas Princess Diana was tossed into the frenzy as slightly naive 20 year old.
Cheating scandals are likely on Kate’s mind. In fact, during Waity Katie and Prince William’s relationship break in 2007, William attempted to make Isabella Calthorpe his wife. Isabella married Sam Branson, but the fact that Prince William failed to marry the woman he truly wanted isn’t something the Middletons will ever forget.
So, why is Kate Middleton disappearing from the public’s eye? The Daily Beast states that it’s all part of the Duchess’ plans to ease back into work. Kate will slowly increase her attendance to both royal and social events over the course of the next few months. However, CDL has noted Kate Middleton has been planning a Middleton-focused vacation in November.
What do you think? Is Kate Middleton’s “lazy” label unfair? Is the Duchess of Cambridge simply focusing on motherhood and family, or is Kate and Prince William’s relationship in trouble?
