This is the difference between men and women: last night I was working when the news came through at about 10:15 on Twitter that Prince William and Kate Middleton (I mean, Catherine – we’ll get to that shortly) were engaged.
Me: “Oh, Prince William’s engaged!”
Jason: “Who to?”
Me: “Kate Middleton! They’ve been going out for almost 10 years!”
Jason: “Is she Australian?”
Me: ………………………
It reminded me a lot of the time I told him that Angelina had had the twins. “Was she pregnant?” he asked. “Um, YES” I replied. “Oh. Who to?” And then my head fell off.
So then this morning I got into work early after doing the Today show and someone in the lift noted that I was in early. “Yes, I had to do The Today show to talk about the engagement.” And Jason says “Who got engaged?”
Right. As I was saying, this story is a big gender divider. Women are generally all over it and there are no words for how little men care.
I’m going to give my thoughts in point form because I’m keen to post and see what you think. In no particular order:
- I think it is exciting even though I didn’t think I would care. Everyone loves a love story and some GOOD news. I love watching people who have just got engaged. Royal or not, they glow.
- How excellent that she is 28 and so is he. She seems to know who she is and they’ve been together almost 10 years so they clearly know each other very well. They were friends before they were together and lived together as flatmates so there are going to be no surprises. What wonderful foundations they’ve laid.
- They broke up a year or two ago for a few months. I think this is also very encouraging. It means they both stared down the barrel of not being together and decided that wasn’t what they wanted. To break up after a long relationship and then reconcile means that you have to take a long hard look at your issues which can only ever be a positive thing. I speak from experience.
- I love that Charles made a Dad joke about how “they’ve been practicing for a while now”. What a contrast to the fact that Diana’s virginity had to be established before she and Charles could get engaged.
- I’m a bit teary about Diana today. The fact she isn’t here to share in this time with her eldest son…..
- The fact William gave Kate his mother’s engagement ring? Torn about this one. In a way it’s romantic and beautiful and closes a circle and connects him with his mum. But it’s hardly a happy symbol of love and good times. Bad omen?
- I was in the make-up chair next to 9 newsreader (and excellent tweeter) Wendy Kingston this morning and I was wondering out loud rather crossly why Kate had to change her name to Catherine – as she will now be know. Wendy said that apparently that’s what she’s always been called by everyone – family, William, friends. The “Kate’ thing is just the media.
- Which brings me to that hideous Waity-Katie bullshit. That has always made me mad. I hate the way it has always been portrayed that she was the one wanting to get married and he wasn’t. Maybe it was the other way around. Maybe HE has been nagging her for years and she’s resisted because she wasn’t sure. That family is hardly an easy one to marry into and I’m sure she’s read the books about Diana and watched the storms around Fergie. She doesn’t strike me as a particularly needy girl. Maybe SHE was the hold-out. It shits me that the world always assumes the pressure comes from the woman.
- I love that Camilla Parker Bowles reaction when reporters asked her about the engagement announcement was “It’s wicked!”
- This really is the Royal Family 2.0
Here is the full interview they did to announce their engagement which includes details of the proposal shown on the Today Show:
And here’s the photocall with the media afterwards….seriously, how nerve-wracking would this be:
I’ve been surprised by how happy this news has made me. My cousin has just gotten engaged to his girlfriend of about 10 years and I was equally surprised by how delighted I was about that. Love a bit of love and I genuinely think this is a great match (the sound you just heard is William and Catherine giving great sighs of relief that I’m on board).
Check out our Kate Middleton frockwatch here.
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What do you think?
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Top Comments
Miss Middleton’s name is actually ‘Catherine’ with a ‘C’. Her given name is Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, and she was referred to as ‘Miss Catherine Middleton’ by both Clarence House and Buckingham Palace.
Considering that Catherine is her real, actual, name; there’s nothing wrong with her being called Catherine, just as there’s nothing wrong with her being called by the nickname ‘Kate’.
Regardless of this story, the kind of blog this is, the readership, I really resent statements like 'this is the difference between men and women' and 'the gender divide'. Mia, you're supposed to be an independent, career-driven, successful, opinionated woman. And yet, you still continuously buy into the kind of generic stereotypes that women's magazines perpetuate about what women are supposed to like and be interested in, all the time sinalling yourself as a whistle blower against the evil things magazines do, like air-brushing and promoting unrealistic images of women. I think an unrealistic image of women is to suggest we all care when Angelina's pregnant and when people are engaged, just because you do. It is one thing to say 'most women are generally all over it' and another to start with 'this is the difference between men and women'.
Please don't respond to this with the normal crap about 'this is the kind of blog this is, etc etc', that has nothing to do with what I'm saying. If you, and your readers, are interested, then that's FINE, I come here for other types of articles and opinions.