Princess Kate released another ‘Shaping Us’ video, this time with Roman Kemp

So, I had never heard of Roman Kemp before now, and I went into this story judging him just by his words and vibe, and he seems like a seriously good guy? Kemp is a British radio host, TV personality and self-styled mental health advocate. He became an advocate when his dear friend, Joe Lyons, died by suicide in 2020. Kemp made a documentary about his friend’s suicide and the larger mental health crisis. Kemp is one of the local celebrities who signed on to help the Princess of Wales’s Shaping Us campaign, her latest awareness-raising campaign which boils down to “the early years are important.” Throughout the week, Kensington Palace has been posting videos of Kate pushing Shaping Us and parroting vague talking points, and today, they posted a video of Kate and Roman Kemp taking a walk and talking about mental health and early childhood. He comes across beautifully. Kate… does not. But I will say this, she at least came across as empathetic, so that’s better.

Y’all know that I’m loath to give Kate any credit, but she has changed it up a bit for this cycle of keenery – this is the most I’ve ever heard her speak unscripted. It’s actually a relief that she is capable of speaking off-the-cuff, but the bad news is that she easily jams herself up when trying to explain exactly what it is that she’s trying to accomplish and what her goals are for Shaping Us. She at least says that the goal isn’t to judge or tell parents that they’re doing this or that wrong. But yeah… this video would have been a lot better if Kate had simply interviewed Roman, because he’s interesting, vulnerable and kind. I got a lot more out of his part of the conversation.

Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace.

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136 Responses to “Princess Kate released another ‘Shaping Us’ video, this time with Roman Kemp”

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  1. jane says:

    its a bit tooo late to give mumbles any credt for any little thing she does yes little!! shes been in the RF for 20 years no excuse for this empty shell!!!!!!!!!

    • Chloe says:

      I have to hand it to her though. She’s managed to say the exact same thing for 6 minutes long.

      • Dawning says:

        Sorry, I couldn’t even manage a minute on that video. It grates my nerves just hearing her speak.

      • minnieder says:

        All I heard was how “very important” early childhood is. Just very very important 🙄 I was briefly excited when he talked about many parents struggling just to keep a roof over their heads, but she somehow deflected. god forbid she acknowledges the housing/food/economical crisis. Because “the arly yars are just so very important!”

      • Sue E Generis says:

        Yes! She just keeps saying the same thing over and over. And she’s so difficult to understand. It’s clear she really doesn’t know anything about the topic except that ‘early years are important’. I also remember that when Meghan was 8/9 months pregnant and suicidal, some of the attacks against her were clearly coming from Carole/The Middletons.

      • Sam says:

        I never understood her and she always mumbled, but since this video I really think that she has real language problems. Maybe she should see a speech therapist.
        Also, I get the crisis watching it because she never looks at him while she’s talking, like she’s keenly trying to remember her memorized lines. It is very clear that everything is scripted

      • BeanieBean says:

        Hellooooo! I stopped after that. Sorry, but after watching the kid video in full I can’t take any more. Are we going to get video by video of each of those ‘celebrities’ that we saw in one of the others the other day? I’m out.

      • Mary Pester says:

        Why is it always Khate and celebs or in this case their son who is also on the television a LOT. She never talks to ordinary people or parents with any empathy, obviously because they are not well known and can’t spread the bullsht of “how wonderful and careing she is” 🤢, the PR sure is in overdrive

      • BothSidesNow says:

        @ minnieder, yes as was I when Roman mentioned the financial crisis that families are facing in the UK but her Keenness just let that slip by and certainly didn’t want to acknowledge how bad it is for families right now.

        Again, no substance and no teeth. Keenness just keeps repeating the same tagline over and over. After 11 years of listening and learning she hasn’t learned one thing.

    • Deanne from Canada says:

      She mumbles because she has to contort her mouth and jaw in such away to illicit the Queen’s English accent. The jaw contortions make me wonder if she should consider maxiofacial surgery. I first saw it in her engagement interview.

      She’s trying desperately not to look at the camera. She does a lot of vacuous pretending with zero substance.

      Also her voice seriously is grating. Very nasal possibly post nose surgery.

      My colleague watched over my shoulder in passing and quipped: “Trying hard to stay young and skinny, that one.”

      That’s all she’s got. Kids & Clothes.

      Now she can hibernate for six weeks on Mustique stating she’s doing more “learning”. Vacation in 3…2…1…

      • Ash says:

        Good to know we all recognize she’s putting on an accent to sound like the Queen, the real Queen who recently passed not Queen Mistress.

  2. TheWigletOfWails says:

    Good Lord. What is going on with her eyes?

    • OriginalLaLa says:

      At first I assumed it was a Botox issue (“spock brows”) but I dunno, it’s been months and months now, Botox would have worn off … I’m at a loss for what is happening to her eyes

      • Tootsie says:

        I do this she’s gotten a thread lift and a mini facelift. Her face has significantly less jowling than before. I thought in pics I saw the spot on the temples where thread lifting is done. I think the person who performed the thread lift pulled one side higher than the other so she’s looking uneven.

    • OriginalMich says:

      I’ve been wondering if she had something like a thread lift with uneven results.

      • OriginalLaLa says:

        oh that’s possible – my friend had a lower face thread lift and had some bad complications (you could see the barbed thread/sutures through her skin on one cheek)

    • MF says:

      Yeah, my bet is bad plastic surgery or a bad thread lift. If you go back and look at photos of her before she was tweaking her face (around 2012), you can really see the difference.

    • RiaH says:

      I’ve done Botox for twelve years, and I’ve never looked like this. I’ve moved a few times and used different practice es, also. I have naturally uneven brows too – I always point it out at sessions and ask for that not to
      Be corrected bc I worry they would mess it up. I pull out photos of my grandma from the 40”s, and she had one brow arched higher and pointier than the other.

      Several of my friends are getting that uneven eye look. Like one eye is more open than the other, and I’m blaming face lifts of some kind. I’m not sure what else it could be, bc lots of my friends DONT have that look.

      Botox advice – go in a few times for peels or facials before committing to Botox. That way you get an idea of how heavy handed they are with x their needles. If everyone is artificial looking, don’t go there. If people just look rested, that’s the place to go.

      • LadyE says:

        I’ve never done botox, but I have the same one arched, pointed eyebrow. I get it from my dad! Same arch and even the point placement (near the middle of my brow) is the same. I actually like it because in pics it gives me a slightly amused, quizzical look (I assume this is what I look like normally to people, but who knows!). It does make my lid on my other eye look lower/droopier in comparison, but whatever, I love looking at pics of my dad and seeing that same arched, pointy eyebrow : )

    • Becks1 says:

      okay I just went back and looked at pictures of their wedding day. There is definitely a difference between her eyes, and the one eyebrow is a little higher than the other (it was very obviously shaped to try to make them look as similar as possible, but there is a difference.)

      Now, the difference is much more extreme (maybe this is a result of what RiaH is describing, where they tried to correct it and instead messed it up? Maybe a face lift gone wrong?) and her eyes and face just look a lot puffier here. She looks like she exhausted or hungover or just stopped crying, IDK.

      also I forgot how much I hated her evening dress.

      • Nic919 says:

        It was Texas pageant with that fur bolero and weird belt. Her fashion sense was garbage then too. But she was surrounded by seniors and middle aged women so it never looked as obvious.

      • sparrow says:

        I’ll never forget hating the lace top to her wedding dress, and the hype over Pippa’s bum. I wish she would get rid of this fake hair. It looks lank and horrible in this video because of the damp weather.

    • The Recluse says:

      Noticed the same thing! Why is she so squinty?

      Also, her legs look like pencil sticks! She’s much too lean.

  3. C says:

    I’m here for the Barbour jacket he’s wearing and that’s all I have to say, LOL.
    Well, other than my usual “This will do nothing” comment about her work.

    • Tessa says:

      Activist Barbie outfit.

      • C says:

        Oh HER jacket is dreadful, it’s an old one too but I can’t praise this rewear, LOL.

      • Teagirl says:

        I see the jeggings are back …

      • BothSidesNow says:

        @ Teagirl, she loves her jeggings…..she needs to burn them or donate them.

        I watched this on YouTube and the comments were glaringly stupid. All of these ridiculous accolades when she hasn’t done anything. I did enjoy Roman but that was it. She doesn’t seem invested in his life very much at all as she simply was pushing the same lines over and over.

    • DouchesOfCambridge says:

      I have this men’s Barbour coat! I love it! Pockets everywhere, I can put the dogs bags, the leash, i dont have to carry my purse, just my wallet, phone, keys, hand pockets to warm you, everything fits and SURPRISE TWO POCKETS IN THE BACK! did you hear me? More POCKETS!!!!!!! I have the beaufort model for men. Love it so much and I bought the hoodie for when it rains

      • C says:

        If you love the pockets then try the Border. POCKET HEAVEN!! I know it’s for ammunition if you’re out shooting/stalking which I don’t do but I love fitting entire books into them, LOL.

      • Larry says:

        Barbours are invaluable if you are flying budget, have exceeded the weight limit for the luggage and need to pack a load more stuff (hello student me!). The poacher’s pocket is also very useful for transporting a cheeky bottle or two……

    • heygingersnaps says:

      I got the classic wax Beadnell jacket and a winter Beadnell coat for Christmas and the classic wax’s inner sleeves has ventilation issues due to it being nylon. It gets very sweaty so quickly that it’s uncomfortable to wear and also gross particularly as you can’t wash it due to it being waxed. I’m going back and forth with Barbour’s rewax and repair service, the woman said I can have the sleeves altered to a cotton lining for £35 but there is no option on the dropdown list on their website so they want me to send my coat to them with a cover letter explaining what I want to do and then they will give me a quote & a link to pay, when I already agreed to what she advised and just want to pay for that so I can send my coat to be altered. What a mess and to think they are already expensive to begin with. I wish they put ventilation holes or use a different lining on their waxed jackets like they do with the Beaufort.

      • BeanieBean says:

        If you’re looking for waterproof & warm, just go for something with Gore-tex. That works & it breathes, and it’ll be physically lighter weight.

      • C says:

        I agree they are a pain in the ass regarding customer service. They didn’t even mail the actual return slip with mine, even though they mailed postage if I wanted to. But they’re such lovely jackets…

      • heygingersnaps says:

        Thanks BeanieBean, unfortunately I’ve have the coats already. I have their winter Beadnell Barbour coat as well which is waterproof and breathable but is not warm at all, I had to buy one of their fleece jumper to make it warm. My only consolation is that their winter beadnell can be washed in the washing machine.
        The classic Beadnell is a faff considering I had to buy the fleece liner and hood separately and now I have to pay an extra charge to have the inner sleeves altered to make it pleasant to wear. Annoying but friends and family said that waxed coats are a great investment.

    • Amy Bee says:

      It’s not a Barbour Jacket. It’s LK Bennet Shearling Jacket. She’s had it before she married William.

  4. Stacy Dresden says:

    Nice. I still have a huge issue with treating your sister in law like trash when she was clearly struggling hard with mental health. No credibility in my eyes.

    • Carolind says:

      I don’t like Kate but why on earth can you not all call Meghan by her name instead of this sister-in-law stuff? At least it would make it clear who you were talking about and give Meghan her own identity. James Middleton’s wife is also Kate’s sister-in-law.

      • Nic919 says:

        Reminding everyone of the family connection shows just how cruel Kate’s actions have been. Meghan isn’t just a random person but family and one that Kate chose to treat in a despicable way.

        Most people have a sister in law and if they consider what kate did to Meghan and then consider if they would treat their own sister in law the same way it makes Kate’s cruel actions more obvious.

  5. equality says:

    Perhaps she could work on shaping the BM and correcting them when they make nasty comments about H&M’s mental health if she wants that happier, healthier world?

  6. Maxine Branch says:

    All I can think of when I see this nonsense is how the Early Learning Centers could use the money spent on this foolish campaign for food and nutrition for those centers

  7. Harla A Brazen Hussy says:

    Dark and moody, wonderful visuals for young children 🙄

    • sparrow says:

      Nice! Good point. As I always say, I can’t listen to her videos and mute and watch but this time, idiot that I am, I put the sound up. Aghh! Her voice is SO not true to its origins and doesn’t hit the accent it’s trying for. Why has she boxed herself into this ridiculous voice, which she must have to keep up around her staff and even some of her family. I’ve got a fair few posh old duffer family and NONE of them speaks like this. You can tell it’s hard for her and she misses a fair few times. There was a speech pathologist on here a week or so ago. I’d love to know whether speaking in an unnatural accent causes any discomfort physically, because she sounds pained in placing her accent and is possibly moving her mouth about in an unrelaxed and foreign way to what it wants to do???

      • TheVolvesSeidr says:

        @sparrow, I don’t know if it could cause her pain, I am a very good mimic. I can mimic anyone. It never causes me any pain. I can mimic mumbles.

      • Princess Planky says:

        @Sparrow 100% agree. Her voice is so strange and unnatural, like a 1950s BBC continuity announcer but with occasional slips. Not how the other younger royals talk at all. I noticed though she said she was so pleased to ‘tawk’ to Roman. Must be hard to keep up all the time.

  8. Andy Dufresne says:

    I’m sorry, but it’s really hard to take this mental health thing seriously when Kate herself has been part of the problem within the RF.

    You cannot preach or raise awareness without focusing on what’s going on at home and in your personal life first, Kate. Reaching out to your SIL and taking accountability is the first step. Otherwise, this whole campaign is just filled with hypocrisy.

    • Nic919 says:

      Exactly this. The nonsense she spouts about early years is one thing, but she enabled the media harassment of her own sister in law and remained quiet knowing she was struggling. It’s one thing for the rota to do it to Meghan, they don’t know her and look to profit from her, but Kate was her sister in law and that’s family. She remains silent and instead has been a petty bitch whenever Meghan is around.

      • WHAT says:

        Princess 🧱 can’t help herself and tries to emulate California whenever possible even in subtle areas cause she wants to be her so bad which is so 😢. Look at the video where they’re sitting at the table 🙂 and look at the 🍵 then go back to Meg 40/40 video and look at the 🍵. 😢 That your obsession includes even the accessories she uses. Its more obvious because the guy’s 🍵 is so plain

    • Cessily says:

      She only promotes mental health advocacy when she personally benefits from it, her comment on “therapy not working for everyone” was completely reckless and unconscionable. Then there is the fact that she and her press pack market her as some “early years childhood expert” with no education, no initiative and children who have yet to grow out of the “early years” would be comical if wasn’t so pathetic. I remember parents who always thought that they were huge parenting experts and had the perfect children they were extremely arrogant and condescending to other parents that they thought fell short. I was a very young mother and was on the receiving end of alot of it just because I was so much younger than the other mothers/parents, funny that they all seem to have raised basement living adult children and mine have been living successfully and happily on there own since they graduated university. Just saying🤷🏻‍♀️

  9. Tessa says:

    Kate stop just stop. Too much pr.

  10. SourcesclosetoKate says:

    Her body is so awkward in that bottom photo

  11. Inky says:

    Roman Kemp is a nepo baby! His parents are Martin Kemp (Spandau Ballet) and Shirlie Holliman (Pepsi & Shirlie). However, that isn’t to take away from his good work around this. He isn’t hugely famous in the UK, but he seems pretty decent.

    • SarahCS says:

      I didn’t know that! You learn something every day.

      As you say, his good work is still much needed and while I (clearly) don’t know much about him he seems like a decent guy and more power to him for that. We need these role models.

    • Moondust says:

      And his godfather was George Michael. I believe he inherited his estate.

    • ncboudicca says:

      Ah, that explains why he looked so familiar even though I had no idea who he was!

    • sparrow says:

      He may be the parents of now moderately famous parents (they were famous in the 80s and have drifted well into the background at this point) but his credentials on this matter have been hard won through personal tragedy after losing one of his best friends to suicide. He campaigns for better awareness of male suicide rates, particularly amongst youngsters, and it is heartfelt and useful. I watched his TV programme about it and came away impressed.

      • Becks1 says:

        so like I said below I could only watch 2 minutes of it because it was making me carsick, lol.

        But I did like his almost immediate point that a suicidal person does not look like what you might expect and the signs aren’t easy to spot. Now maybe they talked about this more, I dont know, but to me it would have been nice to then have discussed how mental illness doesn’t look like what we think, and you can’t tell whether someone is mentally ill based on their upbringing etc. Not all who grow up poor have mental health issues and not all who grow up well-off are perfectly fine, mentally. Not all who have divorced parents have mental health issues and not all with happily married parents are fine, etc.

        But I guess that would go against Kate’s whole message?

      • Original penguin says:

        Martin Kemp is not just famous for Spandau Ballet. But I knew him more for being in East Enders all through the late 90s and early 2000s. He’s also been on im a celebrity etc. So yeah… absolutely a Nepo-baby

  12. heygingersnaps says:

    Oh gee, the usual suspects. Roman Kemp who has positioned himself as an advocate for mental health support but I remember listening to his radio show when the Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior royal members and he was making fun of them, riling his listeners and not just on his radio show but on gogglebox as well. I haven’t listened to his show or those of other radio dj’s who did the same, ironically some of those dj’s also positioned themselves as mental health advocates but mocked Harry and Meghan for protecting theirs. Hypocrites.

    • Nic919 says:

      I had no idea because this guy isn’t famous outside of the UK. But now it makes a lot of sense that kate spoke with him. They are both jerks. If Kemp cared about mental health he would have acknowledged Meghan’s own struggles.

      • heygingersnaps says:

        He is the son of actor/musician Martin Kemp, his godfather was George Michael and he often reminds people of that. He’s got a breakfast show on capital radio, not sure if he still has it but he has been positioning himself as a mental health advocate for a few years now particularly for men for a few years now which is really ironic. I guess all that ass kissing has finally landed him with some royal connections.

    • Jais says:

      Really? Wow. Hate for Harry and Meghan just makes people do and say really shitty things. There’s no logic to it when that person is also supposed to be a mental health advocate.

      • heygingersnaps says:

        When it was announced the British establishment in the media really cranked it up with anti Harry and Meghan, there was one radio 1 dj who I used to enjoy listening to and he did a segment about stuff that was a big deal that you didn’t tell your gran/nan with his listeners chiming in and he was saying how it was disrespectful to betty to not inform her. What will Harry and Meghan do if they’re going to look for a regular job. Toxic stuff like that. Radio 1 really sided with WanK and got a visit from them for their ass kissing.

    • Jazz Hands says:

      Thank you for the background on him. I was wondering how he could possibly think Kate provides a good platform to promote talking about feelings and suicide prevention after what she and her husband did to Meghan and Harry. Figures. If he is genuine, he would issue an apology for saying things that could have harmed their mental well-being.

      • Brassy Rebel says:

        If they’re royal adjacent these days, apparently you gotta do your research because there’s always something that’s a turn-off.

    • K.T says:

      Thank you Ginger for talking about what an annoying nepo-baby Roman Kemp is…and how vile he was to Meghan and Harry. He’s got no place taking about mental health (I don’t
      care about how he made an adequate doco or that he was affected by a friends suicide!!). He comes from really privileged background, got a job because of parents connections and openly mocked ppl in his old twitter. Toxic dude pretends to care to rehabilitate image, he’s perfect for Princess Karen!

  13. Miranda says:

    Every clip of Kate where she’s talking about mental health (or maybe any clip of her, period) should be required to feature a disclaimer stating that she bullied her pregnant SIL to the brink of suicide. Anything less feels almost like a tacit accusation that Meghan was lying. You can’t believe both Meghan AND that Kate actually gives a shit about anyone’s mental health.

    • QuiteContrary says:

      Yeah, when they were talking about what a suicidal person looks like, I thought, well … try late 30s, Black, pregnant, beautiful … look at a photo of Meghan in a dark blue sequined gown at the Royal Albert Hall and you’ll see.

      I cannot take the hateful Kate seriously at all. It’s all just blather. Meaningless, mumbled blather.

  14. mia girl says:

    Ok sure, I guess she’s ok here. But I honestly have such trouble picking up what she’s saying. As an American I have no idea what her accent is, but it doesn’t sound natural. And it’s like she’s an alien who just learned to speak human and is struggling to get human words out of her mouth and everything sounds very forced and garbled at the same time. No wonder everyone calls her mumbles!

    Also her alien listening interaction skills need some work because it’s like she’s programmed to give a default smile at all times and then you can almost see gears turning telling her alien self “do not smile now- be serious.” Or maybe she just has a smirk tic.

    • Nic919 says:

      It’s not because you are American but because her cut glass posh accent is very fake and she has a hard time maintaining it. I’m sure you don’t have issues understanding Harry or even when Charles speaks. She’s called mumbles for a reason.

    • Kara says:

      I had to turn on the captions.

      I don’t think the issue is her accent; I think the issue is that she loses confidence in what she’s saying and starts to mumble and lower her voice towards the end of sentences. She stops enunciating almost entirely, and then her words jumble together and drift away into a whisper. Kate could probably benefit from diction lessons but even more so from something to build up her confidence in off-the-cuff speaking, like improv. But there’s NO way she’d ever do something like that!

      • Elizabeth says:

        I don’t understand that. Even Princess Diana worked with a vocal coach to be more confident speaking in public.

      • Gems2712 says:

        Oh my god, I do improv and it’s been the best hobby I’ve ever taken up. Can you actually imagine Kate doing yes and? Responding to someone in the moment? Flipping hysterical. She’s the epitome of “no, but”.

  15. Haylie says:

    Who?

    • Lady Esther says:

      That was also my first thought, the Mariah Carey gif “I don’t know her,” is this the best they can do for “celebrity” support?

      And then I thought, Kemp…is that one of those Kemp brothers that are celebs in the UK but nowhere else? Nah, too young. Not surprised to find out he’s a nepo baby of one of them lol

  16. What you can’t see are the cue cards and how many takes they had to do.

  17. Mimi says:

    I CANNOT believe that she stood there with a straight face and said her ONLY goal is to raise awareness.

    Sesame Street did that in the 70’s. It is 20-freakin-23!!!! We ALREADY know that early childhood is important. This is why we have headstart, early childhood intervention, preschools, etc.

    Everything that comes out her is word vomit.

    She needs to stop talking and do something.

  18. Julia K says:

    I watched 2 minutes of this and could take no more. I understood him perfectly but she spewed garbled, unintelligible word salad. Am I the only one whose ears just hurt after straining to understand her?

  19. tamsin says:

    I must say that my blood pressure is starting to go up whenever I hear that Kate is talking about mental health.

  20. RoyalBlue says:

    So much mumbling. I can’t take her seriously on her promotion of mental health wellness unless she walks the walk. And by that, I mean she treats people with kindness and respect, including those she does not like. Until then she remains a garbage person to me.

  21. Over it says:

    I am sorry but I can’t watch anything with this woman discussing anyone mental health especially to do with children and their happiness and future. She sat there and helped to contribute to a pregnant woman misery. She profited from it , she continues to stand on Meghan back by copy Keeing her wardrobe. She didn’t think Archie and lili deserve a happy loving place to grow up. She would rather they were constantly attacked and their parents to make her and her children look better. She is no advocate for anything good and I think people should stop giving her time and stop helping her because this woman is pure evil and she will never change.

  22. Marion says:

    As someone in the uk who has mental illness, couldn’t get an appointment so I overdosed I can say Kate Middleton is a disgrace and a slap on the face to those of us with real mental illness and to use our illness as a photo opportunity is unconscionable.
    Clear off Khate.

    • kirk says:

      Sorry to hear this Marion. Hope you’re in a reliably better space now. But if not, or in case future stressors cause problems, I’ve found a lot of helpful information on Canadian government websites. (Most US Americans don’t have any problems conceptually with accepting the need for mental health help, but our healthcare financing just makes finding online resources difficult.)

  23. rosesRred says:

    you can tell she’s just kind of awkward person. this is probably the least awkward i’ve seen her and it’s still awkward. i think other than her being pretty growing up, which she probably just relied on, she just didn’t need to focus on developing personality or charisma and it shows. but as an introvert and shy person, i do have sympathy for her for not being a naturally eloquent or charismatic speaker and being forced to do all of these speaking events. but its what you signed up for.
    while i do think the topic is worth bringing up…i think she’s beating a dead horse now. WE GET IT…resources for families in early childhood development is important. but it feels not great coming from a woman that has 3 kids and probably all the nannies and support in the world for that and can afford to send her kids to the most elite daycare or kindergarten…who also hasn’t really made any meaningful push in government for resources or shown anything for her campaigns.

    • Tessa says:

      THe trouble IMO is that she believes the hype from the DM. And other places. Her mother feels she has to trot out Uncle Gary when Kate is criticized. I don’t think Kate is remotely a “shy person.” SHe wears red and makes events all about HER. She did not hesitate to wear a see through outfit on a runway to get William interested. she has had numerous wardrobe malfunctions. Kate is not shy. The trouble is she does not think she needs any improvements and believes all the hype. IMO anyway. Diana took the time to get public speaking lessons and had the humility that Kate lacks (Diana realized her speech could be improved).

  24. Becks1 says:

    I watched two minutes of it. The editing was making me carsick – the way the camera was bouncing as it was following them, all the cutting away to Kate’s face even when Roman was talking (let him finish a sentence or two without cutting to her face for her reaction!) It was when she was talking about his documentary that I had to turn it off. You know who put out a great documentary on mental health? Prince Harry.

    Her smiles were awkward and mistimed, the editing was bad like I said above….just…..ugh. At least they tried something different from her just sitting in front of a brick wall talking to the camera.

    • equality says:

      I wonder if they had to do multiple take of it.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      Of course it was all about her preening and mugging for the camera which was likely done on a iPhone by one of her aides. This is nothing more than a PR exercise aimed at damage control from Spare.

    • Mary Pester says:

      If I hear this stupid, vacuous woman child say “absolutely” one more bloody time, I am absolutely going to SCREAAAM. Christ she is enough to make a Saint swear

  25. GDubslady says:

    Bullied her sister in law from day one. Goes after Meghan the day Meghan discovers her father is in the hospital. Kate lets Meghan know she’s aware of her father’s issues but her daughter’s appearance is more important. Allows the press to completely twist the story for five years. She is a horrible woman, a royal Karen perpetuating racism and gaslighting of victims of racism. I am so over this woman.

  26. Digital Unicorn says:

    I couldn’t get past the first few secs – once she started speaking I stopped the video as my ears started to bleed. Someone has to tell her that the fake posh way of speaking is off putting and makes her unintelligible. There are many occasions where I have struggled to even understand what she has just said – as others have said ‘mumbles’ indeed.

  27. Jay says:

    If this were something she did in the first few years of being a full-time royal, I’d be more likely to praise her for speaking without a script.

    But this is (supposedly) the culmination of twelve years of work. She’s still barely able to handle an undemanding conversation with someone who is trying to make it easy for her.

    She’s still unable to tie her push for awareness to anything specific – what should people DO with their newfound awareness that childhood is important? It’s all very vague.

  28. Elizabeth says:

    Instead of spending all this money on awareness campaigns, why not use the funds to do short videos highlighting the people already doing this work, like the Anna Freud Centre?

  29. girl_ninja says:

    I’ll never give this chick credit for anything when it comes to mental health. She assisted in torturing her SIL and is still probably feeding the tabloid trolls. None of this means anything to her and this clear by the time she’s put into this vanity project for TEN YEARS. It’s too bad because someone who is serious and has a true heart to make change could do good work here.

  30. Amy Bee says:

    I tried to listen to the whole thing but I couldn’t Roman is very engaging but Kate just not. She has memorised her talking points but I don’t get any passion or belief in what she says. She lacks confidence. I can’t listen to her talk about mental health considering what happened to Harry and Meghan.

    • First comment says:

      I thought it was ok in a basic level. She has obviously memorized her lines like “building blocks ” etc. (after all those were the same lines repeated in her speech and in the 2 videos that followed).. hey, even I could have repeated them. She seemed rather relaxed with Roman Kemp, someone who, as an advocate for mental health support, was, probably, informed in advance of her struggles with speech and he really tried to help her and to make her feel at ease by leading the conversation by asking and commenting positively. She knew her listener wouldn’t judge her as he is, as I read in previous comments, some sort of royal adjacent… so, a win for her, in general..

  31. aquarius64 says:

    This guy was brought in to staunch the bleeding but I think this damage has been done.

  32. Laura D says:

    Wow! I always thought Kate was as “hard as nails” and this video confirms it for me. How she could stand there and look empathic when Roman talks about suicide ideation makes me want to spit. She contributed to her SIL’s poor mental health and enjoyed watching the poor woman suffer.

    As for nurturing and loving families I think of how Kate and her husband made a huge deal about ignoring a little girl’s birthday party. The woman is shameless.

  33. Carolind says:

    Very dangerous to have an amateur rambling on about children’s mental health. This should be in the hands of experts. For what it’s worth, the comments following the article about this in the Daily Mail were overwhelmingly negative.

  34. Harper says:

    Here’s a question for Kate: if you actively dislike someone (Meghan, for example) then is it okay for them to get what they get (suicidal ideation) because they deserve it, or because they had a bad 0-5 (Doria and Tom divorcing, moving), and turn your back on them, contribute to their misery, and just give them up for lost and instead focus on fresh starts 0-5?

    Honestly, I do not understand how she could stand there and listen to Kemp say suicidal people don’t look like what we are told they look like, and not have any guilt at all about what Meghan went through. Kate must think that Meghan deserved everything she got for not knowing how to play the game. What a cold woman–literally and figuratively in this video.

    Can she go to Mustique next week and give us a much-needed break?

    • Tessa says:

      Kate would not go to the person who could fix Charlotte’s outfit. She had no business bothering Meghan about the wedding. Just bring CHarlotte to the person that was hired to do the adjustments to dress and stop making things miserable for all. Kate also had that rather threatening posture to Meghan so much she had to turn away. Kate is such a phony.

  35. Jaded says:

    There’s enough vaseline on that lens to grease a long-haul tanker truck.

    Nice try but…..no. You’re still a petty beyotch who helped drive Meghan to thoughts of suicide, glared daggers at her in public on several occasions and shut any overtures of friendship down immediately. Eff off.

  36. Maremotrice says:

    “…this video would have been a lot better if Kate had simply interviewed Roman, because he’s interesting, vulnerable and kind.”
    Maybe Kate could do a whole series of interviews to shine the spotlight away from herself onto actual hardworking mental health advocates. Perhaps even make a podcast out of it? Cough, cough.

  37. Well Wisher says:

    I am certain that it is not as concise as little Molly Wright’s, who is asking for an nurturing environment/society where childrenn can have the necessary tools rooted for maximum brain development in their formative years.

  38. Imara219 says:

    Umm…first, I had no idea who Roman Kemp was and why his influence was even significant. After the responses, I still don’t get it. Not going in circles repeating what I always say about Kate 😁, so instead, I’ll mention that this video is horrible because it doesn’t do what it’s intended to do, which is bottom-barrel, recognizing your audience within the subject and get your point across.

    • sparrow says:

      Roman Kemp is mainly a radio presenter here in the UK. One of his closest friends, and a producer on his radio show, committed suicide. Roman was and is devastated, and has devoted a lot of time researching and presenting TV focused on boys and young men, their mental health and high rates of suicide. He has highlighted the need for boys to speak up. His friend was relatively young, and killed himself despite his group having “no warning signs” and being caught totally off guard. Kemp now works to highlight what signs can be looked out for amongst friendship groups and parents, and continues to honour his friend’s legacy in this way. I applaud him for that. I don’t applaud Kate’s work in this Shaping Up campaign; it’s cynical and fluff.

      • Tessa says:

        Kate is not compassionate. Her own sister in law was in despair, and Kate was making things miserable for her. Kate should be ashamed of herself.

      • sparrow says:

        Hi Tessa. I separated Kate off from Roman at the end of my post – I applaud his efforts, not hers, so I’m with you completely. Roman has close hand experience of male suicide and follows his heart in this matter. He isn’t cynical. Kate is a different matter entirely and I can’t even go there. I’ve spouted off enough over the past few days about her hypocrisy and pointlessness in this campaign. I’m all Middleton-d out.

      • Tessa says:

        Yes, I agree sparrow and it would have been so much better if Kate had just introduced Roman and stepped away from the camera. It was a disconcerting to see Kate there especially after how she treated Meghan. Especially when Meghan had to turn quickly away from Kate on that walkabout.

      • Imara219 says:

        @Sparrow Ahhh, ok, that makes a lot of sense now. I read some of the previous replies, and I was kind of lost as to who this person was. Thanks for explaining that! Kate’s involvement with the video is nice, but still seems like he should have remained the focus.

  39. Ina says:

    I’d rather listen to nails on a chalkboard. She is so fake. What an impostor.

  40. Elizabeth says:

    Why isn’t there a link to the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood website? Why isn’t she talking to Early Childhood experts in these videos? I sincerely hope that happens. I’ve mentioned it before, but the website has links and information, including who they are partnering with. If I were Kate, I would do a video with seven-year-old Molly Wright, but she probably won’t because that child knows more than she does.

    • Becks1 says:

      Yeah I’m a little confused as to why she has a video talking about mental health and suicide as part of her Early Years awareness. Is she saying that a better childhood leads to a lower suicide rate? (I didn’t watch the whole thing, so maybe that comes up?)

      • sparrow says:

        Interesting comment. Are they rolling their other mental health stuff into her early years? Talk about saving time and money by chucking it all into the one pot. Pulling in all directions and making headway in none? Yes.

  41. Trix says:

    So the part about boys/men needing to deal with their mental health and talk about it — uhhhh, you mean exactly what Harry’s been doing and that her rage-aholic husband refuses to do?

  42. Kit says:

    I seen a few interviews with Roman and he is lovely…l watched a bit of this clip as l was curious about Kates interaction with Roman as Kate doesn’t really speak, , I just can’t with this one, Roman was talking about his friends suicide she looked like she had this smirk or some thing on her face , she didn’t look.sad anyway l.didnt feel the conversation flowed or that she was interested really, Roman controlled the interview throughout, she is just a waste of space !!

  43. Tessa says:

    Kate also apparently felt it OK for her Uncle Gary to defend her and slam Meghan in the process. Kate is shameless.

  44. Beverley says:

    Hardly unscripted. While they were outdoors, Kkkhate was occasionally relying on cue cards close to the ground to the right of Roman.

    She certainly does repeat herself endlessly.

  45. sparrow says:

    I really hate the campaign slogan. I think QuiteContrary pointed out that Shaping Up has connotations of working out and slimming down, which isn’t the healthiest psychologically or physically. But also, to me, it sounds like “shape up and a get a grip on yourself”; hardly what people suffering anxiety or similar want to hear. Or when things aren’t going to plan and someone says “things are shaping up badly”. Even in its true essence, the slogan is weak.

  46. AmelieOriginal says:

    I sat through the whole thing and as others mentioned, there were a few times I simply did not understand a word Kate said because she doesn’t enunciate. It’s not so much her accent, it’s because she mumbles and jumbles words. She is clearly a nervous speaker which isn’t a criticism though you’d think after 10+ years she would have taken some kind of public speaking class for such a public role. It’s only going to get harder, not easier for her, if she expects to be such a visible/public figure for this Early Years stuff she insists on doing. It’s hard to take her seriously and watch her listen to someone speak about their experience losing someone to suicide when her own sister-in-law admitted on national TV she was suicidal. We can argue that maybe Kate didn’t know, maybe Meghan didn’t reach out to her at the time. Harry was embarrassed by his reaction at the time and may only have reached out to aides and not family. But you would think after that revelation in the Oprah interview Kate would have reached out in some way to Meghan given she’s all about “mental health this, mental health that” but it’s clear she hasn’t.

    I don’t know anything about Roman so what I’ve got from a quick Wiki search and this post is he is a Nepo baby and radio presenter who lost a friend fairly recently to suicide. So he made a documentary about the subject and has been vocal about raising awareness about it. He came across very well and I really enjoyed listening to him talk. Kate did look empathetic and receptive listening to him. But I feel like Early Years awareness and suicide awareness, while related, are kind of two different things in the same area. People who had great support and great childhoods can still become suicidal later in life. A happy childhood does not equate a happy adult life necessarily. I really felt like Roman and Kate were talking about two different things and not really finding a middle ground in that video.

    • sparrow says:

      Agree. Roman is sincere and thoughtful in what he talks about; he’s spent time researching male suicide rates here in the UK. Why Kate is bringing him under her early years umbrella is slightly odd, as you say, but a clearer thinker and communicator could have bridged the two issues. Sadly, that person isn’t Kate.

      • TheVolvesSeidr says:

        Further up in these comments someone mentioned that on his radio show, Kemp mocked H&M’s mental health issues. So…. Sounds about par for the course for the RF & “friends”

        *It’s comment #12

      • Unblinkered says:

        My feeling is that Roman, as a minor young UK celeb in his own right, was simply being shamelessly used by KM. She, and her ‘team’, probably felt the UK media would be very inclined to feature this big-time, something a bit different. But hasn’t really happened.

        It’s probable that others more globally known had declined.

        Her ‘team’ should re-launch her promoting sport in state schools, alongside a genuine attempt to attract funding to improve said sports facilities. Maybe she wouldn’t be so out of her depth, and that really could be her life’s work.

  47. Saschafrom76 says:

    They scream and cry and beat their chest about Megan’s natural acting ability and worth ethic that brought her a successful self sufficient career while this hagamuffin SWFing her style, makes little movies and commercials funded by hungry “subjects”, like she wants to be an early years actress or something?! I’m so glad my screaming into the void about how can they not see that royalty doesn’t provide exactly what they say children need in their own country? . She embodies white privileged, cultural appropriation by fashion stalking a biracial woman and every other bad trait associated with white Women out there. I wish she would divorce Willy and go back to being the commoner she is. She makes us all look so bad I feel physically ill when I see her joker eyebrows and maniacal gauping grin

  48. Mary Pester says:

    Tessa, have you ever known Khate step AWAY from a camera, her default position is “where’s the nearest lense, even at prince Phillips funeral, it was put the camera on THIS side of the car please,

  49. Annalise/Typical Virgo says:

    Not gonna lie, I like Kate’s coat. I would wear that coat although I’m sure it’s a bitch to clean.

  50. ChattyCath says:

    Not having toys, trips, food and heating doesn’t cause stress if you’re ‘emotionally supported’? Hypothermia and starvation are ok as long as Mummy and Daddy are there’? She did say that.

  51. alexis says:

    What a boring woman, her learned accent is barely understandable. After 20 years of being involved with the BRF her public persona is very amateur and her personality appears to be robotic. There is absolutely no evidence of intelligence, brilliance, or passionate interest in anything other than her scanning where the camera lenses are facing and posing for photos. Surely she could have done marketing and public speaking training, but possibly she is just not capable of learning. It is puzzling how somone could be so personally unaware that they are happy to publicly embarass themselves on a regular basis and be completely tone deaf to what is happening in their own country.