The Scottish Mail on Sunday

Victory for Kate as Tatler caves in on its ‘cruel, snobbish, woman-shaming demolition job’

DELETED! BARBS ABOUT CAROLE, PIPPA – AND POSTER OF PRINCE WILLIAM ON HER BEDROOM WALL

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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-middleclas­s 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]

‘CRUEL BARBS’: Kate’s mother Carole, far left, and younger sister Pippa 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.

 ??  ?? COVER GIRL: The July/August issue
COVER GIRL: The July/August issue
 ??  ?? ‘TRASHED’: Friends say Kate is ‘naturally shy’ and ‘doing her best’
‘TRASHED’: Friends say Kate is ‘naturally shy’ and ‘doing her best’

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