Maybe it wasn’t the best time to skip out on work for that Mustique vacation. Kate Middleton and the royal family will soon be under investigation over whether they provide value for money to the taxpayer.
This scrutiny is nothing new to the royal family and one of the main reasons why Prince Charles has been so crotchety about streaming down the monarchy over the past couple years. In all fairness to Kate, Queen Elizabeth is the main person involved in the royal investigation although money given to junior royals who work on behalf of the queen will be greatly scrutinized. This most likely will include the royal tours Prince William and Kate took to Canada and just recently to the South Pacific. I feel like they’ve done more… oh wait, no they haven’t. The royal inquiry also wants to examine whether the palace is doing enough to sell its brand and raise money on its own. Kate might have them there. No one since Princess Diana has sold the royal brand quite like Kate has. I’m not saying she’s tried to do it or did anything particularly well to influence it other than making sure her hair and clothes are impeccable. But we are a fickle crowd of Kate lovers and haven’t really minded her laziness. She got knocked up. What more can you do for a brand than be the face of its future? A lot but this is Kate we’re talking about… baby steps.
But that may not be enough. The royal family has been criticized for not keeping Buckingham Palace open to visitors all year round and refusing any visitors to its other major estates including Balmoral and Sandringham. This year the Queen received a 16% increase from taxpayers to complete her royal duties.
I’m all for bitching at the upper classes but I’m not so sure if there’s a great argument for it this year. Kate and William are lazy. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it until it changes but Queen Elizabeth is anything but. She busted her ass this year with the Jubilee and the Olympics. She’s super old and that woman takes her responsibilities seriously. And she and Prince Philip are known to be incredibly frugal. Should all the estates be open to paying customers? Maybe but geez, give these people a couple homes where they can relax without seeing a line out the door.
For now though, Kate Middleton’s spending is in the clear. I’m pretty sure daddy Charles still pays for all her things from his estate and that’s not under the microscope yet. So she can keep on tanning and shopping but that bump is going to have to come out to play a little bit more. Whenever there’s an investigation into the usefulness of the monarchy, expect a baby bump sighting. Babies solve everything!
Photo Credit: Barcroft/Fame Pictures
