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Gymnasium Coesfeld

1-, 2012

Jan D. ©
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Facharbeit im Leistungskurs Englisch

Can Kate Middleton save the British monarchy?

An analysis based on several English newspapers

Table of Contents

1 Preface

2 Analysis 2

2.1 “Could our first middle-class Queen save the monarchy from itself?” 2

2.2 “Profile: Kate Middleton” 4

2.3 “Can Will and Kate save the image of the British royalty?” 6

3 Summarization and personal opinion 8

4 Bibliography 9

5 Annex 10

6 Erklärung 19


1 Preface


There are some reasons why I have chosen Kate Middleton to be the centre of my term paper. One of the reasons is that she is able to live the life that every little girl wants to live: the life of a princess. We also talked in class about the necessity of the monarchy.

However, what interested me the most was the fact that the press continually puts Kate into different lights. On one hand, the press says she is not the right one for William and they named her “Waity Katie.” But on the other hand, the press is totally in love with her. This is what makes me think about her in the role of a princess.

Her Royal Highness Catherine Elizabeth, Duchess of Cambridge, born as Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, was a ordinary commoner with normal parents who made their assets by running their own business. The love story between her and Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, began in 2003 in St.

Andrews during their studies. Ever since 2004 when the media found out about them, Kate has been under observation. They went through good and bad times but they never stopped loving each other.

  What is fascinating about them is that they give each other moral support no matter the situation.

  Furthermore, the monarchy was not that popular anymore. It was considered old-fashioned and a lot of British citizens were angry about the Royal financial affairs because in the last years they had gone into debt. Nevertheless, when the Royals announced the engagement of Kate and William, it generated a huge amount of publicity; everybody fell in love with the monarchy again.

  Therefore, there must be something special about Kate Middleton.

 

  Due to this, I want to find out how the press sees her after they found out that William asked Kate to marry him and that Kate no longer can be called “Waity Katie”. Furthermore, I want to emphasize the role of Catherine in the monarchy and whether she can save it from its disbanding.

In the following, I am going to analyse three different newspaper articles from different magazines. While the first article is taken from the popular newspaper “The Daily Mail,” the second article is published in the serious newspaper “The Guardian”. Both newspapers are British. The third article is taken from the “Canadian Broadcasting Cooperation”.

2 Analysis

2.1 “Could our first middle-class Queen save the monarchy from itself?”


The newspaper article ”Could our first middle-class Queen save the monarchy from itself?” written by Dominic Sandbrook and published in “The Daily Mail” on 17th November 2010 deals with the relationship between the monarchs and the nation and how Kate Middleton can change it.

 

In the beginning the author mentions that the royal wedding and therefore the “injection of new blood” can be the changing point in the Royal Family (cf. ll. 1-4).[1] The fact that Prince William chose a bourgeoise woman to be his princess is an enormous step in the history of the “love affair between Crown and country” (ll. 6-7).

  The author comes up with the financial problems the United Kingdom had and still has to portray the royal wedding as a wonderful and glamorous moment for every British citizen (ll. 8-11).

  Furthermore, he refers to William's parents and grandparents, who were criticised by Left-wingers who thought that the Royals would spend to much of Britain’s money for their “fairytale wedding[s]” (cf. ll. 12-14). However, the population is glad to have events like the Royal wedding because it is an opportunity to forget their problems and economic hardships (cf. ll. 18 ff.).

  To underline his statement, he mentions the wedding between Charles and Lady Diana, which is another example of how a community distracted by economic problems can be reunited (ll. 26-35).

  In the following, he states that William’s wedding to Kate will be completely different from former Royal weddings because no one expected an “ordinary middle-class girl” to be the next British princess. The author draws attention to Kate's origins in order to point out the differences between her and Diana Spencer, who is also thought to have been a commoner.

In contrast to Kate, whose parents worked as a flight dispatcher and as an air hostess, Diana's family had a royal background (cf. ll. 45-52).

  Moreover, the author wants the reader to understand that the Middletons are a family like a lot of other British families with ordinary forefathers. Although they are millionaires, the Middletons made their money through hard work, not heritage (cf. ll. 53-59).

In addition, he draws out that Kate herself works for her money and stands on her own two feet. Apparently, he wants to convince the reader to share his opinion that Kate is the right one for Prince William, because every time he needs her she stands by his side (ll. 60-64).

  As a result of Kate's loyalty to her Prince, the author wants the Windsors to welcome her to the Royal family with open arms (cf. ll. 65-67).

  To emphasize the complexity Catherine has with her status of not being a Royal, Sandbrook brings up an old incident in the Royal history in which Edward IV was dethroned because of his marriage to Elisabeth Woodville, whose family was labelled as “snobbish royal hangers-on” (cf. ll. 70-74).

 

  By introducing his next sentences with “[h]appily,” he expresses his opinion of the marriage between those amorous human beings (ll. 76-77).

  Nevertheless, the monarchy has the opportunity to develop and to adjust to the changing society. The author mentions George V, the Queen's grandfather, and George VI, her father, because they once reinvented the monarchy in the interest of the British population (cf. ll. 83-87).

  The union of Will and Kate can put to rest the often widespread critique that the Royal Family is out of touch with its countrymen. According to the article, the British are very happy for the “girl from an ordinary British family” because she is not one of the “fame-hungry celebrities” (ll. 88 ff.).

  Later, Sandbrook goes on to write about seeing William and Catherine sitting in a pub, being affectionate and entirely normal, which let him come to the conclusion that this ordinariness is what the monarchy needs to survive the next century (cf. ll. 98-103).

According to Dominic Sandbrook, Prince William did so many things to develop the relation between Crown and country by choosing Kate to be his wife and serving in the Armed Forces (cf. ll. 106-111).

  At the end, the author concludes that despite the economic problems, the Royal wedding will be an event to celebrate the new amalgamation between the next King and the middle-class princess (ll. 115-117, “We will be raising a glass […] to the man who will one day be King, and to a very middle-class princess”).

  Finally it can be said that Dominic Sandbrook convinces the reader with his arguments and his family research to believe in Catherine Middleton. She is represented as a well-behaved and loving person who easily can be the connector between the nation and her new family and therefore the rescuer of the monarchy.

In his article “Profile: Kate Middleton”, published on “The Guardian” website on 16th November 2010, Stephen Bates discusses Catherine Elizabeth’s life under consideration of the question of whether or not she is the right one for William.

 

 At first, the author states that the last commoner who married a prince was Anne Hyde 350 years ago in 1660 (cf. ll. 1-3).[2] In addition to this, he compares Hyde's and Middleton's families, which places Kate's parents in a ridiculous position (ll. 4-6).

 In the following paragraph from lines 7 to 12, Bates writes about Catherine's forebears and the way her parents met. Kate's mother used to be a flight attendant, which is why some royal hangers-on think that the Middletons are too common for the Royal family; critics say things like “doors to manual,” which is supposed to mean that Carole Middleton is a simple woman.

 Afterwards, Kate's mother launched her own family business called “Party Pieces,” which created their fortune and “their daughter’s entry into higher social circles” (cf. ll. 13-15). After that Bates presents Kate's siblings, Pippa and James, and describes her well-adjusted youth (ll. 18-22).

 Moreover, the author portrays Kate as serious and as responsible enough to be the woman at Williams side; he infers this from a quotation that Jessica Hays, a friend of Kate’s, gave to the News of the World: “I never once saw her drunk. Even after our GCSEs finished, she only drank a couple of glugs of vodka.” (ll. 25-27).

 The author suspects that already in high school Kate was waiting for her and Prince William to meet because she had some friends from Cotswolds country who knew him (ll. 30-34).

 The meeting between them finally happened in 2001 when they got into St. Andrews where she studied Art History (l. 35).

 The first time the press paid attention to her was when she was modelling for charity, where Prince William was sitting in a front-row seat for ₤200 (cf. ll. 37-39).

 To emphasize his opinion that Kate was planning to meet William, Bates mentions that they shared a flat and later a cottage, and that the Middletons bought a “strategically useful flat” for Kate (cf. ll. 42-45).

 The Middleton's were very disappointed because Prince William let Kate be “Waity Katie,” making her wait so long until he finally asked her to be his wife (ll. 47-49).

 The author wants the reader to see that Kate is a responsible because she worked part-time in the fashion store “Jigsaw”, which she can easily leave if her prince needs her (cf. ll. 53 ff.).

 

In addition, the author is confident that William found the right one in Kate. They have known each other for years so that he can be sure that he knows her true self (“William and Middleton, […] have been together already for longer and know each other better than those involved in previous royal matches and there is no sign of a royal mistress lurking in the shrubbery”, ll. 63-66).

 To round off his article, Bates again compares Kate to Hyde, who needed to go to the palace secretly, which the sooner princess definitely does not need to do (cf. ll. 67-69).

 

To sum it up it can be said that Stephen Bates intends to convince his readers that Kate will be a brilliant princess and that she is the right choice for the Windsors. He refutes the statements of the critics (“Doors to manual”) by portraying her as “serious” and “discreet”.

2.3 “Can Will and Kate save the image of the British royalty?”


The article “Can Will and Kate save the image of British royalty”, posted on the web page of CBC News on 14th  April 2011 and written by Maggie Gilmour, is about William and Kate being the last chance for the monarchy.

 

  Immediately at the beginning, Maggie Gilmour states her worries about Kate and William because the British are infatuated with the idea of the wedding without considering the future(cf. ll. 1 ff.).[3]

The author mentions that their next five years will be critical and full of difficulties due to the service William has do for the RAF[4]. When William is away, Kate will be at home. To calm down the feminists she admits that it is Kate's will to be at home: “Feminists of the world, Ms. Middleton is not interested in a career. Get over it.” (l. 13).

In the following part Gilmour refers to Penny Junor[5] who says that both of them better enjoy the here and now because they will not have time for themselves if William will be crowned. Moreover, Junor recommends the couple build a family and spend as much as time as possible together (cf. ll. 16-20).

 

Gilmour wants them to campaign for social matters like William's mother Princess Diana did and not to join the RAF: “I have some ideas – sex trafficking, rainforest destruction clean water to prevent disease – but he hasn't called” (cf. ll. 27-31).

Furthermore, she points out that Kate and William could change the blemished image that burdens the Royal family. The writer criticises the behaviour of so many royals and is concerned that William and Kate may not do anything about it (ll. 31-34, “The trouble is, I don't think they will.”).

Gilmour later gives a quotation from Una-Mary Parker[6] in which she says that Prince Charles, the next one in the line of succession, may be the reason why William and Kate are unable to go on tours or become very active in social work. If they did, it is possible that Charles and his wife Camilla might feel forgotten and angry (cf. ll. 35 ff.).

Even though he technically is the next in line for the throne, Glimour adds in a exaggerated way that “nobody” wants Charles to be the head of the state. To prove her statement, she gives presents the results of a survey in which 64 percent of the British population want William and Catherine “succeeding to the throne” and only 5 percent want Charles and Camilla (cf. ll. 40-43).

 

  At the end she sets out her “best case scenario,” in which she says that she wants William and Kate to win the hearts of the British people, meaning that Charles will need to make room for the younger generation to get the crown (cf. ll. 47-49).

  Nevertheless, she is not convinced that Kate and William can save the monarchy, although she hopes so: “Let’s hope they get it right. It may be the monarchy’s last chance.”(l. 50).

 

  In conclusion, it can be said that Maggie Gilmour believes that only Kate and William can save the monarchy’s image, if Charles and Camilla let them try. She wants them to be active and to give their energy to those who need it the most.

3 Summarization and personal opinion


To finish my term paper I will compare the opinions of the three different authors. Dominic Sandbrook and Stephen Bates are convinced that if someone can rescue the monarchy, it will be Kate Middleton.

Both of them describe her as a well-educated and as the perfect match for the Duke of Cambridge. Moreover, they believe in Kate and William because they have known each other for so long and went through so much together. Sandbrook and Bates are sure that Kate will rescue the monarchy with her charm and reserved behaviour. In contrast to this, Maggie Gilmour is not completely satisfied with the notion that Kate could save the monarchy because of her in-laws.

The reason for the different opinions could be that Sandbrook and Bates are British and have a personal relation with the monarchy, while Gilmour is Canadian and writes objectively because she only needs to deal with the question as a journalist and not as a citizen.

   

I, for my own opinion, think that Catherine Elizabeth Middleton can save the monarchy because she is a strong and intelligent woman. Because of her strength and her radiance she is able to convince the citizens to believe in the monarchy again. The fact that Kate was one of us ordinary commoners makes it possible for the British to identify with her and to understand her.

 

4 Bibliography


The Daily Mail Online.

.2ndMarch 2012.

The Guardian Online.

.

2ndMarch 2012.

CBC News Online.

. 2ndMarch 2012.

Lisa's History Room Online.

.

11thMarch 2012.

Lisa's History Room Online.

.

15th March 2012.

5 Annex


Could our first middle-class Queen save the monarchy from itself?

By DOMINIC SANDBROOK
Created 12:17 AM on 17th November 2010

Amid the pageantry and the patriotism, next year’s wedding will mark a turning point for the Royal Family

And by unveiling a bride whose social background is not too unlike that of many ordinary Britons, Prince William has taken a gigantic step towards rekindling the long love affair between Crown and country.

After much speculation, Clarence House has announced the engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton. The couple will get married next year

If nothing else, next year’s wedding could hardly be better timed. Staggering under the weight of our crippling debts, reeling from the impact of the deepest spending cuts in our history, we will all be glad for the sparkle, romance and glamour of a major royal occasion.

By coincidence, William’s parents and grandparents got married during periods of deep austerity. At the time, both couples were criticised by carping Left-wingers who begrudged them the expense of a fairytale wedding.

Yet when our current Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, married Prince Philip in November 1947, sheer popular demand meant that plans for a modest occasion were rapidly dropped.

As wedding fever gripped the nation, cinemas were packed with people desperate to watch newsreels and catch a glimpse of the Princess’s ivory silk wedding dress, her Russian tiara and double string of pearls.

It was the ideal tonic for a nation struggling through years of rationing, demob suits and economic hardship.

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip leave Westminster Abbey after their wedding ceremony in November 1947 as the post-war nation gets ready to party

More than three decades later, the Royal Family remembered the lesson when it came to Charles’s wedding to Lady Diana Spencer. In the summer of 1981, Britain seemed in deep trouble.

The headlines were full of riots, demonstrations and IRA hunger strikes, unemployment was heading towards three million, and Margaret Thatcher’s tough anti-inflation medicine had yet to take effect.

Yet once again, a royal wedding provided the ideal distraction from our economic woes.

As the Union Jacks waved in the summer breeze, it was as though millions of people, almost as one, had fallen in love with Britain again.


And yet when Kate Middleton walks down the aisle next year, there will be an obvious difference with our past two major royal weddings.

The Prince of Wales kisses the hand of his new bride Diana, Princess of Wales, on a balcony at Buckingham Palace in the summer of 1981, when the news was full of riots, IRA hunger strikes and unemployment

Diana may have been technically a commoner, but as the daughter of Earl Spencer and a descendant of Charles II, she was hardly the salt of the earth. And as the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, Prince Philip was one of Europe’s most eligible royal bachelors.

What a contrast with the ordinary middle-class girl at the centre of yesterday’s wonderful news. For when Kate Middleton was born in the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, a year after the wedding of Charles and Diana, nobody could possibly have imagined that she might one day be crowned our Queen.

The Middletons, after all, were hardly blue-blooded aristocrats like the Spencers. Kate’s father Michael was then a flight dispatcher, while her mother Carole was an air hostess. They first met while working for British Airways; their first home was a flat in Slough.


The story of the Middletons, though eminently familiar to millions of ordinary families, is very different from that of the House of Windsor.

For while William’s forebears were kings and queens of Britain, Kate’s ancestors were miners and labourers from County Durham. And although Kate’s parents are reportedly millionaires, their rise has been a very middle-class story.

They owe their success not to family connections or inherited wealth, but to a mail-order business selling toys and games for children’s parties.

Even Kate herself, though educated at Marlborough College and St Andrews, seems to have her feet on the ground.

By all accounts a remarkably mature and level-headed young woman, she worked as an accessories buyer for the High Street fashion store Jigsaw, only leaving when it became impossible to combine her duties with her royal romance.

But although the House of Windsor’s embrace of middle-class England is long overdue, you cannot help wondering what some of Kate’s predecessors as royal consorts would have made of her.

The first time an English sovereign married a commoner, he almost lost his crown.

When Edward IV revealed that he had secretly married Elizabeth Woodville, reputedly the ‘most beautiful woman in the island of Britain’, in 1464, his friend Warwick the Kingmaker was so enraged that he began planning a coup.

And even though Edward defeated and killed Warwick at the battle of Barnet, the Woodville family remained a source of deep jealousy to snobbish royal hangers-on — a taste, perhaps, of what may be in for Michael and Carole Middleton.

Happily, no one can doubt that when King William V finally succeeds to the throne, in Kate Middleton he will have the woman he loves at his side.

But aside from being the product of a genuine romance, theirs is an engagement that speaks volumes about our changing society, and about the Royal Family’s capacity for reinventing itself.

For as the Queen, Prince Charles and his sons have all learned, the monarchy’s greatest asset is its ability to evolve.

It was the current Queen’s grandfather George V, for example, who brilliantly reinvented the monarchy after World War I as the model nuclear family.


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