In Endgame, Omid Scobie devotes one chapter in two parts to Queen Camilla and the current Princess of Wales. The side-by-side is because these are the only two married-in women who figured out a way to survive the institution – Camilla has survived by keeping the tabloids by her side, and Kate has survived by being as docile and personality-free as possible. While y’all know my feelings on Kate, I will give her begrudging credit for that one thing: she has found a way to survive and balance herself within everyone’s competing agendas. After twelve years of marriage, she’s become such an institutional creature that even the most mild criticisms of her are seen as the most heinous of attacks. Which is where we are now – Scobie actually went pretty easy on Kate, considering the rest of the book, which is why it’s so interesting to see this outsized focus on Scobie’s “scathing attacks” on poor Keen. Some highlights from various British media coverage:

Katie Keen: Kate is said to have earned the nickname “Katie Keen,” according to the author of Finding Freedom, because the palace press office hides her reportedly lower workload by saying she is “keen to learn”. Scobie and claimed the late Queen liked her because she was ‘coachable’ unlike the ‘strong-minded’ Princess Diana. Scobie added that Kate ‘glides under the radar’ because she’s ‘never challenged the system with public struggles or oversized aspirations’. He adds she is ‘comfortable in her role’ and ‘willing to bring the requisite smile and elegance to her duties as princess’.

Kate ignored Meghan: Scobie claims another source told him Kate ‘spent more time talking about Meghan than to her’…He added that Kate ‘watched on in silence’ as stories were published about Meghan making her cry, and that she now ‘shivers’ when her name is brought up. ‘This is a side of Kate that rarely gets written about. Advocating for mental health causes—the mental health of mothers, for that matter—but ignoring her own sister-in-law’s cries for help seemed out of character for someone the public knew as sweet and easy to get along with…At the very least the institution ignored Meghan when she was in pain. It’s a dismal record, and with William now openly claiming his mother was essentially too paranoid to speak the truth, it proves the institution still operates under the principle that women not born into the family are, ultimately, disposable.’

Part-time royal: Scobie writes “The late Queen, too, would take off blocks of time throughout the year to recharge, but she was also known to carry out at least three hundred engagements annually. Sources said Kate remains ‘laser focused’ on her duty to the family first, and then the Crown. Where other senior royals are out and about several times a week, meeting people across the length and breadth of the country, Kate has long maintained a smaller work schedule that helped her check off the required royal boxes while saving time for her roles as a mother and a wife.” The new book also claims she “does not plan to increase her workload for 10-15 years” until her children are grown.

Kate & Meghan: While Scobie says the sisters-in-law had “nothing in common” they “could have made things work in those early days if there was peace between the warring Windsor siblings”. Meghan is said to have found her time in the royal household as being “lonely and isolated” and had hoped Kate would be someone she could turn to for a kind word, as they “were once both outsiders, middle-class women brought into the House of Windsor for unimaginably different lives”. But Kate, so Scobie claims, was “uninterested in forming this kind of bond” because “she can be cold if she doesn’t like someone” and “wasn’t a fan of Meghan”.

[From The Sun & The Daily Mail]

There are several royalists being sent out to snort derisively in Scobie’s direction, but it’s curious that no one is mentioning the book’s discussions about how Kate and William have always gone MIA for months at a time, how Kate blatantly began copying Meghan two seconds after H&M got engaged, and how a former staffer even admitted that Meghan’s arrival was like a rocket up the ass for Kate, and that’s why there was all of this Single-White-Female-ing. While all of that – and Kate’s lack of empathy for Meghan – makes it hard to feel sorry for Kate, I do think it’s interesting that this supposedly modern Millennial woman is able to largely glide around with no personality, no causes, no passions. All with that budget wig on her head. Also: it’s so funny to me that Kate is going to put off full-time royal work until all of her kids are in their twenties.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar and Backgrid.

North America Rights Only – Glasgow, UK -20220511- Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visit St. John’s Primary School, Glasgow to partake in a Roots of Empathy session. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

North America Rights Only – London, UK -20210618- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at Kensington Palace meets with a group of parents who have helped her understand the importance of providing support for parents during the earliest years of children’s lives, on the day of the launch of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. -PICTURED: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Tolga Akmen/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

North America Rights – London, UK -20190713- The Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Sussex, and Pippa Middleton Matthews in the royal box during the 12th day of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. -PICTURED: Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle -PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

North America Rights Only – London, UK -20220616- Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood host a roundtable at the Royal Institution in London, attended by representatives from the early years sector alongside the Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Minister for Families Will Quince and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA Images/Chris Jackson/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

North America Rights Only – London, UK -20220616- Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood host a roundtable at the Royal Institution in London, attended by representatives from the early years sector alongside the Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Minister for Families Will Quince and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA Images/Chris Jackson/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing

173969, (L-R) Meghan Markle and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the first annual Royal Foundation Forum held at Aviva in London. London, United Kingdom – Wednesday February 28, 2018. Photograph: Ã?© Avalon.red, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 534296421, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red, PacificCoastNews / Avalon

The Princess of Wales on a walkabout to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle in Berkshire following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. Picture date: Saturday September 10, 2022.,Image: 721657008, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon

WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Catherine, Princess of Wales speaks with the public on the long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721658028, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Catherine, Princess of Wales, attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. The Prince of Wales, President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and The Princess will attend the Awards ceremony before meeting category winners and EE Rising Star Award nominees.,Image: 757165111, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon

** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES ** London, UNITED KINGDOM – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Pippa Middleton, at the women’s Final on day twelve of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, 13th July 2019. Pictured: Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 13 JULY 2019 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*

Britain’s Prince Harry, his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrive at Westminster Abbey for a service to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force (RAF), in central London, Britain July 10, 2018.

Wimbledon London UK 13/07/2019 Photo credit: Peter van den Berg Kate, The Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, seen smiling and enjoying Serena Williams (USA) and Simona Halep (ROU) playing their women’s singles final match against on Centre Court.