# Brits: What are comedians saying about the royal engagement? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 24, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817 "2010-11-24T22:13:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elvis\_Chimney](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/50afbb/32.png) [@Elvis\_Chimney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elvis_Chimney)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/21 "2010-11-26T15:41:28Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Yeah, it’s just a generic “old lady” joke, with the Queen inserted into the setup. It still made me laugh because the punchline took me by surprise, but the Queen bit was irrelevant to the humour. Well, I suppose the fact that it’s about the Queen adds an additional level of mild shock - even for die hard republicans like me it’s not considered entirely polite to speculate on the condition of the Queen’s front bottom in public. My main problem with the joke is his use of the word ‘pussy’, which seems a slightly out of place Americanism - I think ‘fanny’ might have been better, but everyone’s a critic I guess. ---
**Author:** ![AutumnLeaves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@AutumnLeaves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AutumnLeaves)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/22 "2010-11-26T18:02:26Z")
I think it’s telling that really the worst they have thrown at Kate is the “Waity Katie” thing. I mean, really? That’s all you got? A couple that dates for eight years before deciding to get married is pretty much every couple I know. > [@Bakhesh](#): > > I heard a comment off HIGNFY, along the lines of… > > “Prince William’s stag do is going to be very weird…Stuffing pictures of his Gran down the bras of strippers!” I have often wondered about this when it comes to Royals - not this particular thing - but do they carry cash? I’m sure the Queen doesn’t, but let’s say, Prince Charles. Does he carry a wallet around with him? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/23 "2010-11-26T19:03:26Z")
The Queen carries a bit for the collection plate when she goes to church, I’ve been told. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/24 "2010-11-26T20:11:01Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > I mean, standup comedians, chat-show hosts, sketch comics, and the like. Are they making any comments about Kate, speculation about the wedding or the marriage? For instance, I can picture a pretty basic sketch. A comedienne plays Kate Middleton being interviewed (with or without William), while wearing an overcoat primly buttoned to the neck. Odd, you might think, until the interviewer gets to “But how do you REALLY feel?!” Upon which “Kate” tears off the overcoat to reveal something skimpy and sparkly, declares, “Like this, actually!”, leaps onto the nearest tall piece of furniture and starts shaking her thang to “I’ve Got The Power”. 😃 Hopefully, you’re not a comedian! 😃 > [@](#): > > Is anything like that happening? Or are the royals generally off-limits as comedy fodder? Comedians aren’t part of a hivemind. They’re all different. Some gleefully mock or joke about it, others don’t. It’s almost like they’re different people or something! ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/25 "2010-11-26T20:13:44Z")
> [@AutumnLeaves](#): > > I have often wondered about this when it comes to Royals - not this particular thing - but do they carry cash? I’m sure the Queen doesn’t, but let’s say, Prince Charles. Does he carry a wallet around with him? Apparently she has a crisp folded £50 note or something. Never gets used though. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/26 "2010-11-26T23:24:22Z")
> [@AutumnLeaves](#): > > I think it’s telling that really the worst they have thrown at Kate is the “Waity Katie” thing. I mean, really? That’s all you got? A couple that dates for eight years before deciding to get married is pretty much every couple I know. I think the nickname is more based on some people’s perceptions that Kate hasn’t done a lot in the way of employment for the last 8 years. Officially she works for her family’s party supply business, but whether she actually does much I couldn’t say. I don’t know how much the average Brit cares, but there’s a lot of snobbery and nastiness towards the Middletons in the tabloids. Her self-made millionaire parents are criticized for being social climbers obsessed with their daughter marrying into the royal family. Kate’s mum was criticized for chewing gum and using the word “toilet” in the Queen’s presence. ---
**Author:** ![AutumnLeaves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@AutumnLeaves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AutumnLeaves)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/27 "2010-11-27T00:00:45Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > Kate’s mum was criticized for chewing gum and using the word “toilet” in the Queen’s presence. I’ve heard that particular rumour, and it struck me as quite false. Any documentation of Mrs Middleton being in the Queen’s presence? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/28 "2010-11-27T01:58:50Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > I don’t know how much the average Brit cares, but there’s a lot of snobbery and nastiness towards the Middletons in the tabloids. Her self-made millionaire parents are criticized for being social climbers obsessed with their daughter marrying into the royal family. Kate’s mum was criticized for chewing gum and using the word “toilet” in the Queen’s presence. It is hard to express how terrible some of the newspapers are here. The worst one, the Daily Mail, is a hideous propaganda sheet and is second only to the cartoonish tits-and-football Sun on circulation. The Sun at least has a sense of humour (although it can be deeply nasty), the Mail is relentlessly evil, cloaked in faux-respectability. ---
**Author:** ![BDoors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BDoors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDoors)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/29 "2010-11-27T08:17:57Z")
Actually, I think it was other tabloids that spread the gossip such as the one about William’s friends whispering “doors to manual” when Mrs Middleton (a former air stewardess) entered the room. Much as I hate to link to a Daily Mail article, here’s one where it is reported that William and Palace spokespeople angrily refuted suggestions of snobbish attitudes towards the Middletons: [William is horrified at sneers about Kate's mum | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-449071/William-horrified-sneers-Kates-mum.html) ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/30 "2010-11-27T14:45:45Z")
At the panto last night, Scott Thompson as Queen Elizabeth II said “To the members of the press - please stop taking pictures of my grandson from above. He’s starting to develop a bald spot like his Dad. Also, please stop taking pictures of his fiancee from below. She’s starting to develop a bald spot, too.” It got a big laugh. ---
**Author:** ![BDoors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BDoors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDoors)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/31 "2010-11-27T15:09:39Z")
I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/32 "2010-11-27T17:11:19Z")
It turns out that some of Kate’s ancestors worked as coal-miners in mines owned by ancestors of the late Queen Mother. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/33 "2010-11-28T01:21:24Z")
> [@BDoors](#): > > I don’t get it. Presumably it means that William and Kate are having sex so often that her pubic hair is getting worn thin. Is that it? And here’s the famous _Yes, Prime Minister_ quotation about British newspapers: Hacker: Don’t tell me about the press. I know exactly who reads the papers: the _Daily Mirror_ is read by people who think they run the country; _The Guardian_ is read by people who think they ought to run the country; _The Times_ is read by people who actually do run the country; the _Daily Mail_ is read by the wives of the people who run the country; the _Financial Times_ is read by people who own the country; _The Morning Star_ is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country; and _The Daily Telegraph_ is read by people who think it is. Sir Humphrey: Prime Minister, what about the people who read _The Sun_? Bernard: _Sun_ readers don’t care who runs the country, as long as she’s got big tits. ---
**Author:** ![AutumnLeaves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@AutumnLeaves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AutumnLeaves)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/34 "2010-11-28T08:15:15Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > I think the nickname is more based on some people’s perceptions that Kate hasn’t done a lot in the way of employment for the last 8 years. Officially she works for her family’s party supply business, but whether she actually does much I couldn’t say. > > I don’t know how much the average Brit cares, but there’s a lot of snobbery and nastiness towards the Middletons in the tabloids. Her self-made millionaire parents are criticized for being social climbers obsessed with their daughter marrying into the royal family. Kate’s mum was criticized for chewing gum and using the word “toilet” in the Queen’s presence. I imagine that if she had being aggressively pursuing a career, the unwashed masses would have been crying that she was using her connection to William for whatever purposes. I’d imagine that the delay in proposing might have something to do with William knowing better than most anyone else what she’d be put through as Princess/Queen. I mean, is there anyone (whose last name is not Kardashian) that wants bikini pictures splashed across tabloids and to be followed everywhere, just because of your spouse? ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/35 "2010-11-28T13:28:12Z")
This was probably back before Diana died, but I remember reading something about how someday when William was grown up it was inevitable that he would be treated by the press the same way his dad was in the late '70s – endless speculation about his latest girlfriend, and exactly The Wrong Sort of women throwing themselves at him. The real problem was, it said, that the kinds of women that would have no trouble dealing with that kind of attention and scrutiny were exactly the sort that you _didn’t_ want marrying into the royal family and the sort that you _did_ want were exactly the sort that would never put up with it. I’m not sure how I feel about Kate. I saw a photo of her a while back and she was wearing a big, silly hat with a heart on top and I thought, “Eurgh!” I also think any couple that’s been fooling around for eight years on again, off again is not exactly the picture of True Love in my book. More like, “Yeah, you’ll do. Come on…” I wish them luck. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817/36 "2010-11-28T17:59:39Z")
Question from reading the _Daily Mail_\*\* article…what does “Doors to manual” mean? Is that something that would be phrased differently by an American flight attendant? I gather that manual means “by hand,” but, what doors? Sorry, don’t mean to hi-jack, but I’ve heard that rumor before about Kate’s mom and don’t get it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-what-are-comedians-saying-about-the-royal-engagement/561817.md?page=1)