The royal wedding may be over, but that doesn't mean we can't discuss or dwell on the aftermath! What comes next for Kate Middleton -- err, I mean, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, oh, I mean, the Duke of Cambridge? Will it just be business as usual for the royal newlyweds? What's Kate -- err, Catherine, as she prefers to be called -- going to spend her time doing? According to British press, she plans to be "just a regular housewife" for up to two years post-"I do."
On her post-honeymoon itinerary, there are only commitments to go watch Prince William play in a couple of polo matches and attend key-note events, like Trooping the Colour and the Duke of Edinburgh’s 90th birthday ...
Aides admit Kate intends to spend most of her time with Wills in Anglesey ... "pursuing other interests." (How vague.) And the duchess herself has told friends she wants to enjoy life for as long as she can as an "ordinary RAF (Royal Air Force) wife" in their rented farmhouse in North Wales. Wills is supportive, because he doesn't want to just throw her to the "bear-pit" of public life right off the bat.
I am down with all of this. I get needing some time off after a big, huge, life-changing event. I get wanting to spend quality time with your partner before launching into the stratosphere of a very public life ... or even before launching a family. (Wonder when kids factor into this two-year plan?) But it's still a bit frustrating to think that Kate is not going to do any real work for so long ... for a couple of reasons.
First of all, whether she likes it or not, she's a role model to girls and women worldwide. But I certainly can't look up to someone who quits her job the minute she gets engaged (with the excuse that she has to plan a wedding and prepare for her life as a royal), and then gets hitched and says, "Eh, charity work shmerk." Sources tell the Mail:
[Catherine] will, in time, become associated with her own charities but this won’t happen immediately as she wants to explore the fields that interest her first.
Okay, maybe I'm being a bit judgy, but she's almost 30 years old -- she doesn't know what fields interest her by now? Actually, she's probably just being cautious about committing to anything quite yet, and I'm sure at some point, perhaps two years from now, she'll be giving back big time. But to make it like sitting at home doin' a whole lotta nothin' -- I'm sorry -- "pursuing other interests" for two years is some kind of ideal that every woman wishes they had ... the chance to just be an "ordinary wife"? It's ridiculous. Unless they mean a "normal wife" circa 1952?
Furthermore, being a puppy to her "RAF hubby" can't possibly be good for their relationship. I don't see William as one of those guys who wants his wife to be strictly devoted solely to him. You just have to look at his mom to know that. Di was extremely committed to her family, but she also had a wealth of other interests, friends, causes, etc.
Maybe she thinks all will be best if she plays the role of "little woman" for a little while, but for the sake of her own sanity and her new royal marriage, Kate/Catherine/the Duchess of Cambridge (etc.) would likely do well to begin cultivating a life of her own.
What do you think about Kate Middleton's decision to be "an ordinary RAF wife" for the first two years of their marriage?
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Comments 18
I see nothing wrong with what she and her husband have decided to do during their first two years together as a married couple.
Frankly, it's none of our business!
Maybe she'll get involved with the charities that the RAF wives do. If they are like military spouses here (which I'm sure they are) then they do a ton of stuff to support the Air Force. That could easily take up 2 years worth of time.
in case you forgot, the Duchess is still a Princess. i don't recall a whole lot "working" happening in any of my princess stories either, but meh...
i completely see why she's taking her time before diving in to a charity / work / royal spotlight. maybe she's trying to stretch the 'prince(ss) and pauper' routine before going full royal. what bothers me though is this blogger's statement: "Okay, maybe I'm being a bit judgy, but she's almost 30 years old -- she doesn't know what fields interest her by now?"
yes, you ARE being "judgy"... (and the word is judgmental). i'm a 30 year old woman, and i work full time, i'm married and we have 2 kids. they keep me very busy... but if i had time on my hands, what would my fields of interest be? well i actually have a lot... and to think of narrowing it down just to satisfy someone else doesn't sit well with me. and i think she's probably thinking VERY hard about the fact that she's becoming a role model. are you saying that if a prince proposed to you, you wouldn't quit your job and try to find your life's work that will be most fulfilling to you and society?
maybe you should wait until they've been married more than 5 days before proclaiming her anything, royal housewife or otherwise.
Sometimes I feel a little like a 50's housewife. I cook, clean, raise babies, sew, etc. but you know what? I LIKE IT. I have a college degree, I run a little etsy shop and that is enough for me as far as "work" goes. I'm a housewife and I hope I can always be a housewife. When my kids are grown, maybe I'll go back to school, maybe I'll throw myself into charity work, we'll see. If I had Kate's resources I would never work for a paycheck another day of my life. You don't have to earn a taxable wage to be a great role model.
Yeah, you're being extremely "judgy". Already it's starting. I don't know how old you are, but I'm old enough (heaven help me) to vividly remember the criticism that was heaped on Diana. Every move that woman made was scrutinized, criticized. Some people even found cause to criticize her charitable work - they thought she should be working not with *this* charity, but with *that* charity.
So I can hardly blame the Duchess for sitting back, taking her time, carefully considering her options (which, I'm sure, there are hundreds sitting on the coffee table, awaiting her scrutiny), and discussing those options with her husband and her new family (and now, business partners) before making her decisions known.
So, really, I don't think she's going to be "sittin' at home, doin' a whole lotta nuthin'..." WOW, what would you say to people who said that of you, if you were "just a housewife"?
Yes...whats wrong with being a housewife? I think OP has some issues. Am I just a 1950's oppressed housewife? No I think it is worse to have to work, take care of the kids and have a stranger raise them....for me. Imagine if she tried to hold down a job....she could not get anything done with all the photogs.
I think the next two years while Prince William is in the RAF will be the the most normal the couple can expect to have for the rest of their lives. They have to dedicate the rest of their lives to public work and being a royal. I say they have a right to a normal happy life until it is Will's turn to take the throne. I also think that Will is being extremely careful not to make the same mistakes his parents made.
I see nothing wrong with being an "ordinary" housewife and military wife; I was one for a full year before I got pregnant. There's nothing wrong with being a homemaker, AT ALL, and most of us don't have to deal with the paparazzi dogging our every movement.
// I see nothing wrong with what she and her husband have decided to do during their first two years together as a married couple.
Frankly, it's none of our business! //
Yep. What she said