Not 'Posh' Enough: Kate Middleton Took Elocution Lessons in Effort to Sound Grander Than Prince William
Kate Middleton was urged by her family to take elocution lessons to sound "posher" when compared to Prince William.
"Friends have noted over the years that her accent now sounds 'posher' and 'even more plummy' than her husband's," author Omid Scobie wrote in his new book, Endgame.
"Kensington Palace has never denied that Kate had several rounds of elocution lessons as she became more serious with William," Scobie added. The writer further revealed that Kate's family "calculatingly placed Kate right at the center of young William's world" by encouraging her to enroll at the University of St Andrew's in 2001 instead of her alleged preferred choice of Edinburgh University.
The book takes what some are labeling a highly critical approach to describing the Princess of Wales. The author claimed that Kate "glides under the radar" due to having "never challenged the system with public struggles or oversized aspirations." He further adds how HRH is "comfortable in her role" because she is "willing to bring the requisite smile and elegance to her duties as princess."
"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," the co-author of 2020's Finding Freedom added.
Scobie also points out how the queen-in-waiting fulfills a low number of royal engagements each year when compared to someone like Anne, Princess Royal. This is a criticism that others, including monarchists, have pointed out in the past. But ultimately, Kate seemed to become a success with the royals, including the late Queen Elizabeth II, because she was reportedly "coachable" and easy to mold.
As if these criticisms weren't direct enough, the author's biggest reveal about the Princess of Wales came when the Dutch edition of the book named her as a secondary "royal racist" in what he claims is a "translation error."
Royal expert Phil Dampier dished that he found it "very hard to believe that this error occurred due to a problem with the translation," while veteran royal reporter Michael Cole believes the spill is nothing more than a "publicity stunt" on Scobie's part to drive more attention toward the tome to increase sales.
"Having only written and edited the English version of Endgame, I can only comment on that manuscript, which does not name the two individuals who took part in the conversation. I'm happy to hear that the error in the translation of the Dutch edition book is being fixed," the author told an outlet when discussing the error.
The New York Post reported on excerpts from Endgame.