Down-to-earth Kate Middleton will be Britain’s new Queen of Hearts… I kid you not
IT was just a few little words, but oh how they resonated with every single first- time mother.
Kate Middleton admitted this week that she felt “cut off and isolated” when she moved to Wales after the birth of her first son George, and we all fell a little bit more in love with her.
Kate was meeting other mums at a children and parents’ centre in Cardiff when she shared her feelings of loneliness after moving to Anglesey, where Prince William began working as a pilot for the local ambulance service.
Kate had endured a tough pregnancy and was recovering from the birth when they moved to an area far away from her friends and family. She didn’t know anyone and her husband was often working night shifts.
She told mums that she would have loved to have had a similar community centre on her doorstep where she could have made friends and met other women in the same boat.
It was endearing to hear her being so open about her feelings. And for her to share the sort of anxieties that affect all of us when we first become parents. You believed she would have popped in for a cuppa and chat.
Fair play to Kate, who amid all of the recent royal turmoil has just been quietly getting on with the job.
At the start of the week she looked flawlessly elegant at a very grand reception for African leaders that would normally have been hosted by the Queen or Prince Charles.
Instead, William and Kate were deemed ready to fly the flag for her Majesty’s beloved Commonwealth, and by all accounts it was a success.
We can expect William and Kate to shoulder a lot more of these prestigious events in the months and years to come.
They have just the right balance of glamour and gravitas and, in these troubled times, with Prince Andrew in disgrace and Harry and Meghan trying to find their own path, the canny Queen knows how important it is to show royal continuity.
Just as Kate looked regal at the palace reception, she then showed her down to earth and very human side, sharing stories of motherhood with other parents during a 24-hour mini tour to promote a cause close to her heart.
ROYAL DUTY
Kate is passionate about improving the lives of children under five to give them the best possible start in life.
Her charities give practical help to struggling parents and Kate was keen to visit mums, dads and workers at the coalface to get a proper idea of exactly what is needed.
As well as dropping in to children’s centres in poorer parts of the country, she also visited a women’s prison in Woking, Surrey, to listen to former inmates and to see for herself the help what the Forward First charity can give them.
Kate was also launching a landmark survey on early childhood development that she hopes will make a huge difference in the future, and she sees this whole project as a lifelong commitment.
The academic studies for her charities are all very laudable, but it’s when Kate connects with mums and their children that she comes into her own.
When she first came into the Royal Family she was understandably shy, a bit stiff and wrongly considered by some to be aloof and standoffish.
Now Kate can instantly put everyone in the room at ease.
She has a knack of talking to children that is never patronising but makes them comfortable enough to tug at her skirt and ask her to help them wash their hands.
It’s a rare skill and one that will be invaluable as the Royal Family undergoes a modernisation period, becoming leaner, more streamlined and remaining relevant.
That’s not going to be plain sailing, especially with scandals such as Prince Andrew’s involvement with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein refusing to go away.
But Kate is their trump card, and like her late, much-missed mum-in-law, could one day be our Queen of Hearts.
Life's no holiday Meghan
Harry and Meghan have made it very clear they want to be left alone to start their new life, so why don’t we just do that?
After all, when they were in Canada for their extended Christmas and New Year break they were able to lead normal lives.
We are told having time together as a family was sheer bliss and enabled them to make the decision to break away from the Royal Family.
The trouble is those six weeks weren’t real life.
It was a sumptuous, cosseted extended holiday. Of course they enjoyed themselves.
But even a heavenly existence could become a little bit dull over time.
Harry is a man who has to have purpose in his life and Meghan is an actress who needs a stage.
That’s why I don’t believe they want to switch off the attention.
They need the media to highlight their charity work and commercial opportunities.
I still believe even after all the upset, grudges, huffs and family fallouts, Harry and Meghan could have been a real asset to the royals, but I reckon it’s probably too far gone now for them to change their minds and come back into the fold.
It’s just like Meghan’s broken relationship with her father, and hasn’t he been singing like a canary this week?
I lost all sympathy for Thomas Markle when he said that Meghan and Harry “owe” him.
I know he’s deeply hurt at being cut out of her life, but giving in-depth interviews and showing personal photos and videos is not the way to mend busted fences.
I don’t see any way back for that relationship, and, although the Queen has left the door open, I don’t think there will now be a change of heart from Harry either.
It’s all very sad and unnecessary, but maybe it is time to grant them their wish for privacy and leave them in peace.
I guarantee if we all packed up and left, they will come to miss the attention and, much more importantly, the public’s love and admiration.
Aiden a work of art
I WOULD like to think all-round genius Leonardo Da Vinci is having a quiet chuckle somewhere at the prospect of being brought to life on screen by the ridiculously handsome Aiden Turne.
The former Captain Poldark, who memorably launched topless scything on to an unsuspecting nation will play Renaissance man Da Vinci, in a big-budget TV series to be screened this year.
I suspect there will be lots of glowering, horse riding, skinny dipping and swordplay – and probably not all that much painting, sculpting and drawing.
And I rather suspect we might just find out the truth behind Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile.
Hank's film is a beauty
Finally everyone will get to see the new heart-warming Tom Hanks film A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood out here at the end of the month.
I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview before Christmas and I don’t know whether I was yearning for some old-fashioned Christmas spirit but I found it moving, uplifting and magical.
Tom excels as American children’s TV presenter Mr Rogers who is one of the few human beings on the planet with no dark side, and has a genuine desire to give children confidence, self-worth and make them grow up into kind, happy and well-rounded adults.
If you are sick to the back teeth of political scandals, squabbles, negativity and toxic social media take yourself to the movies and wallow in one of the most delightful human beings ever to have walked the earth.
The film manages to be pure of heart without being tooth-achingly twee – and Tom was born to play Mr Rogers.
One bad mother
We’ve had fires, floods and now a possible epidemic that could claim millions of lives. It’s a scary time and I reckon it’s all down to a ruthless Mother Earth with an instinct for self- preservation.
MOST READ IN OPINION
This week has been awash with doom-laden predictions that we will have a repeat of the Spanish flu in 1918 that killed millions more than those who perished in World War One.
The Wuhan Coronavirus began in China and due to air travel is spreading throughout the world. As well as that to contend with, there are predictions that human beings will run out of resources and die out due to a massive population explosion.
Here’s a thought. Could all of this be down to Mother Earth not liking what’s she’s seeing and taking extreme methods to defend herself from irresponsible humans? I can’t say I blame her.
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