Royal Review: Kate Middleton: Princess in Waiting by Claudia Joseph

Until Kate - Kate Middleton: Princess in Waiting was published, the only other book about her was Robert Jobson's William's Princess. I was looking forward to reading Claudia Joseph's biography if only to see whether one could be written that does Kate justice. This book does just that. From the first page it is very clear that Joseph has done her homework - unlike Jobson.

Starting with her great-great-great-great grandparents, the author traces Kate's paternal and materal lives back to Queen Victoria's time. Her ancestry continuously running parallel to that of the royal family. But it's difficult to compare backgrounds with the royals. Anyone, including Kate's family will always come up short. They will always appear humble and common, making them no more remarkable than yours or mine.

Yet the comparisons do not end there as the lives of Kate's maternal and paternal ancestry is reviewed. One thing that I had a hard time with is just as I was getting into the maternal life story, it ended and the next chapter moved on to the paternal side. Constantly going back and forth between families was distracting. Just as you feel as though one side has moved further away from their humble backgrounds, you are returned to the other side still working on achieving that goal.

But the details are extraordinary. Joseph doesn't just write that Kate's family worked in coal mines, she actually describes their lives filled with hardship, illness, death. Making it far more interesting than the brief glimpses of the comparative glittering royal existence, which only serves to highlight the hardships. This is unnecessary; Kate's humble beginnings stand on their own. However, they're constantly portrayed as social climbers for simply wanting a better existence.

Eventually both sides rise in status and we are brought to the lives of Kate's parents, glossing over their current backgrounds and Kate's early life. The book then switches to the relevant history of William and Kate's relationship, making it little different from Jobson's. It also occasionally deviates into romance novel territory, just phrased differently.

Without an engagement I think both books are somewhat premature, although should one be announced, Joseph's could serve as a good primer for Kate's early family history. Ultimately neither one reveals anything new in William and Kate's relationship that can't and hasn't be read elsewhere.

© Marilyn Braun 2009

Royal Review: William's Princess by Robert Jobson

I’ve had a hard time finding something nice to say about William's Princess by Robert Jobson. All I could come up with is that it has nice photos and at some point it must have had the potential to be better.

For people outside of the UK, the name Kate Middleton may mean absolutely nothing. But her name means a lot to royal watchers, with reactions ranging from idolatry to downright hatred. In case you’re wondering, Kate Middleton is the girlfriend of Prince William, the son of Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Wills and Kate have been dating for seven or eight years and when it comes to their relationship, there is no middle ground.

The book starts off with Robert Jobson getting an exclusive tip to a big story: the engagement of Charles and Camilla. Is he trying to prove his credentials? The “About the Author” covers his award winning career as a commentator. His first book was Diana: Closely Guarded Secret, co-written with Ken Wharfe (which I actually enjoyed). So now that we’ve gotten that out of the way we can focus on Kate, right?

No.

Considering the title: William’s Princess. You’d think the focus would be on Kate. Well, indirectly it does. It starts with rehashing Charles’s love history, then Diana’s. I guess trying to predict William’s attitude towards marriage, so that when Jobson finally gets around to William, we’re primed and ready. William ‘has fallen in love young’, is ‘determined to not throw it away’, but ‘will not be bullied into marrying one of his own’. So now that we’ve established that William has a mind of his own, we can focus on Kate, right?

No.

Ultimately, this book has next to nothing to do with Kate. Possibly because so little is on record about her. She’s ultimately portrayed as an attractive, confident, tolerant accessory in William’s life. Published prior to their April 2007 split, to Jobson, it’s a foregone conclusion that Kate will be William’s bride. Kate’s middle-class background is focused on, with a rather weak attempt to include some royal links in her family history. The importance of finding a suitable bride is covered in detail. But sometimes the book reads like a romance novel. Case in point:

…the turquoise waters of the Caribbean glimmered and gave way to emeralds, pinks and reds as the sun dipped towards the sea on the horizon. The sky glowed golden..as they sat in the cocktail bar..sipping their exotic drinks and absorbed in each other’s company…

If that doesn’t make you squirm then speculation on Kate’s virginity is sure to:

..the delicate matter of whether her virginity is still intact may not be an issue yet tackled…

Yikes!

If you’re interested in reading about speculation on Prince William and Kate Middleton’s relationship, then this is the book for you.

Just don't expect to find much about Kate herself in it.

© Marilyn Braun 2009