‘Egregiously out of touch’: Claim Princess of Wales splits time into thirds mocked

A new report has detailed how the Princess of Wales really spends all her time – and it is completely out-of-touch with real life.

COMMENT

I’ve never had a Valium, but maybe today’s the day to start.

The cause of my nearly debilitating pique, my exasperation, my irritation and my desire to do some yelling under my doona is Kate, the Princess of Wales and a new UK report that has come out tooting the many-splendored wonders of the future Queen.

It’s that time of year, when the royal family has decamped north, oh so very far north, to Balmoral for their annual family holiday en masse (top temperature on Wednesday was 18 degrees), leaving something of a Buckingham Palace-shaped news hole.

Thus, out has come a piece from the Telegraph entitled “The moment that Kate became a true queen in waiting” – all about what a top-notch, grade-A, stellar job Kate is doing, nearly a year after she was elevated to her princess role.

Where things get dicey is that one of her friends decided to give associate editor Gordon Rayner the on dirt about how the 41-year-old manages to juggle three children, a dog and supporting a husband who she keeps finding bent over mournfully counting the hairs that materialised in the bathroom sink. (Well, I’m guessing anyway).

According to the Telegraph, Kate “has come up with her own system to make sure each area of her life gets the attention it deserves”.

Says the anonymous pal, who I think we can assume would not have spoken to a journo without the princess’ approval: “She has devised a life plan based on dividing her time into thirds. A third of her time is for parenting, a third is for being a wife – spending time with her husband and supporting him – and a third is for her projects and royal duties”.

The Princess of Wales divides her time between parenting, royal duties – and being a wife. Picture: Daniel Leal/AFP

Now, given the way this is framed, clearly the mystery chum seems to think that this reflects wonderfully on the Princess of Wales; a testament to her superwoman status.

Somehow, Kate is managing to juggle kidlets, wearing a tiara and finding the time to lovingly pat William’s hand as he practises his scalp massage.

But seriously – what in the name of Phyllis Schlafly hell is this?

For one thing, what other supposedly full-time working person in the world can get away with spending only one third of their time on actually doing their job? The 41-year-old is going to be the Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland one day; she’s not some regional sales manager’s part-time PA.

While Kate is certainly doing exemplary stuff, particularly her Early Years work including the launch of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, the associated business task-force and penning an op-ed for the Financial Times, it does not look like she is doing enough of it.

Let’s do a bit of maths here. Assuming that the princess is awake for 16 hours a day (she seems a ‘solid eight hours with a silk sleep mask’ sort), that means that on average, she is spending just over five hours per day working.

Assuming she does a standard Monday to Friday, that means she is clocking in for only 25 hours of royal labour a week.

And this is now that she and William undertake “full-time” royal workloads – after having only made the switch from part-time in 2017. (Truly).

This year, Kate has undertaken just 85 official engagements. Picture: Zac Goodwin – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Is this good enough?

So far this year, Kate has undertaken 85 official engagements as opposed to Queen Camilla’s 118 at the age of 75.

Of course, dispensation needs to be made that the princess has little ones and Kensington Palace sources always seem to be banging on about what hands-on parents they are. The Waleses do deserve plenty of credit for not farming out all of the peanut butter-smeared bits of parenting, all the Book Week costumes and the middle-of-the-night vomiting, to a retinue of liveried staffers.

But still, Kate is in line for a job unlike any other and which will mean that centuries from now, people will still be writing about her. The Princess of Wales has a truly historic title and the expectations of what that means – or should mean – in the 21st century are immense.

Does this sound like the sort of gig you can really nail in only 33 per cent of your week?

Moreover, if this friend’s anecdote was meant to make her seem like a sympathetic and impressive figure, then read the room love – this doesn’t make Kate look like an Every Mum but an indulged, wealthy woman who has no real idea about how hard The Juggle really is.

I also have a ginormous problem with the notion of Kate devoting one third of her life to “being a wife”. Is she really spending an equal amount of her life wife-ing, like some terrifying 50s throwback, as to her job?

This reads like something out of a post-war newspaper women’s pages advice column, right along with six super ways with powdered eggs and the best places to buy a girdle.

Is this good enough for a future Queen? Picture: Ricardo Makyn/AFP

Being a loving, supportive partner is great and all, but specifically carving out time to stand by her man makes her seem like a Tammy Wynette song come to sad life.

Again, this version of Kate looks egregiously out of touch with the modern world.

(Let’s also pause here to note that no one is excitedly out there telling the world that William is likewise devoting one third of his life to being a husband).

Look, overall, I think Kate has come a hell of a long way from the nervous, unsure woman that she was when she first entered royal life.

I think the princess is carving out a real legacy and doing important, valuable work for the UK.

I think the Princess of Wales has the potential to be an extraordinary figure and Queen.

But fitting in parenting and having a relationship while working part-time is not some miraculous feat of wonder that deserves enthusiastic praise.

Royalty is, in theory, meant to set an example for us, the masses.

The only example that Kate is really setting right now is how tippety-top it is to marry a very wealthy bloke who can afford for you to not have to work and to pay for plenty of staff. Phyllis would be damn proud.

Daniela Elseris a writer, editor and a royal commentator with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles.