Kate Middleton: To work or not to work?

Kate Middleton, the longtime girlfriend of Prince William, has taken a bit of a beating in the press of late. From her “boring” fashion sense to her frequent nightclub hopping, the girl just can’t seem to win. And, on top of it, rumors have surfaced that Her Majesty herself has complained that Kate should get a job.

Katie Nicholl of the Daily Mail broke the story in June 2008 ("Queen: Kate should get a proper job before Prince William announces their engagement") that the Queen had told courtiers that she wished that Kate would find work during the interim before a likely royal engagement. The article quotes "sources close to the Queen" who claim that the monarch "was acutely aware that Prince William’s public image could suffer if his girlfriend were not recognised as a working professional in her own right." The article never clearly states why the Queen allegedly believes that a stable career is such an important qualification for a royal bride, but Nicholl does again quote sources who say that the Queen "believes in a modern Monarchy and feels very strongly that the Royals should be leading by example." The reader is left to infer that leading by example, in this case, means working in the public sector - the kind of work that Sophie, Countess of Wessex, did in public relations before marrying Prince Edward.

Though the article focuses on the Queen's alleged problems with Kate's unemployment, Nicholl also quotes unnamed "friends" of Prince William, who reveal that "William realises Kate can’t have a normal life because of all the paparazzi that follow her around, but he does want her to be doing something worthwhile." The friend defends William's sometimes-reputation for partying too much, claiming that he works hard even if it sometimes doesn't seem that way.

The story has some serious and obvious flaws; for one, it seems incredibly doubtful that the tactful Queen would air doubts about her grandson's girlfriend to others even if she entertained them. And the sentiments attributed to Prince William also seem problematic - why would he criticize Kate for partying at nightclubs when he has been photographed doing the same by her side? But Nicholl's article has raised questions that some have long held about Prince William's privileged girlfriend, who does not need to work to make money. Kate's parents own the successful Party Pieces company, which has afforded them and their children financial security. But the question remains: should an intelligent young woman, even one who does not need to work, look for a career? And does a potential future queen really need to have work experience in order to excel when faced with the challenges and pressures of royal duties?

A look at Kate's academic past helps to establish her as an intelligent and capable young woman. By all accounts, Kate has not lived up to her potential. Her teachers and classmates from her years at Marlborough College, the posh school attended by the likes of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, have given glowing accounts of Kate’s academic prowess. In Andrew Alderson’s Telegraph profile published in May 2008 (“Kate Middleton: the chosen one”), Kate is described as "academic and sporty," having garnered "high-grade passes in 11 GCSEs and three A-levels." A former teacher told BBC News in March 2005 ("Popular girl who caught royal eye") that Kate "excelled in all her subjects and was an A-grade pupil across the board." She finished at St Andrews with a 2:1 degree in art history, and with her connections and her intelligence, she should have been able to establish herself in a steady and profitable career by now.

Kate attends the opening of The Shop at Bluebird, June 2006

But that has not happened. After graduation from St Andrews in 2006, Kate did not find work immediately, though no one knows if she was actively job hunting or not. When she finally was hired, it was by family acquaintance Belle Robinson, co-owner of Jigsaw and The Shop at Bluebird clothing stores. In a recent interview with the Evening Standard ("Kate's not precious. She mucked in at Jigsaw"), Robinson reveals that Kate approached her about a position with the company, explaining, "She genuinely wanted a job but she needed an element of flexibility to continue the relationship with a very high-profile man and a life that she can't dictate. She's going to be dictated to when she's needed and not needed."

Robinson's assessment of the role of a royal girlfriend seems to complicate Nicholl's portrayal of the royal family as champions of serious careers for its future members. If Kate was expected to be "on call" by William, how would he expect her to have a nine-to-five job in the regular world? Robinson depicts a Kate Middleton whose first priority is her relationship, for better or for worse. If dating a prince means having "a life that she can't dictate" - and if dating that prince is the most important thing for her - it seems difficult to expect Kate to work a job for which she is expected to show up five days a week. Therein lies the problem; most of us don't have relationships with princes, and most of us must work to make a living, so it's easy to criticize a young woman who seems to be wasting her time waiting to become a princess. It's tough to know how we would react if we were in Kate's position, with income to spare and frequent invitations to go on holidays and to parties with some of Britain's elite.

Having a job with a regular schedule poses more than just problems for a royal girlfriend's social schedule; it also gives paparazzi the chance to snap regular photographs. Even more than that, a royal girlfriend (or even spouse) working in the public world must constantly be on guard to trust the right people. Richard Eden of the Telegraph cited this in July 2008 as the reason that royal courtiers don't want Kate to work ("Kate Middleton must stay a lady of leisure") - they'd like to avoid a repeat of the Countess of Wessex's Fake Sheikh scandal, in which she revealed her opinions about the British government to a reporter disguised as a trusted client.

Kate helps move stock outside Party Pieces, July 2008

For now, I think Kate has chosen the only job that can possibly work for her life: she's employed by her parents at Party Pieces in Berkshire, reportedly photographing stock for their website. The job allows Kate to spend time on the clock instead of simply indulging in the Sloane Ranger lifestyle which writers like Nicholl assign to her. It also provides her a modicum of protection from invasive photographers (though paparazzi managed to capture images of her organizing stock earlier this week). At Party Pieces, she's able to work in a comfortable and sheltered environment, the kind that would not be possible if she worked in London. She can feel confident that her current employers will not give the kind of interview that Belle Robinson did earlier this week. She can pursue her passion for photography in a constructive way, even if it isn't in the company of the likes of Mario Testino.

Overall, I think that Kate is doing the best she can. When Kate and William announce their engagement, she will be thrust into the spotlight in a way that would make working in the public sector nearly impossible. She's not biding her time, and even if she isn't establishing herself in the career that she might have had if she weren't dating Prince William, she's doing useful work for her family. Surely even the Queen would approve of that.