Open Letter to Catherine, Princess of Wales

You are not helping women 💔

Dear Catherine: You Are Not Helping Women

It might seem incongruent for someone like me, who doesn’t exactly bow down to monarchies, to be writing about the Princess of Wales (I don’t dare call her Kate Middleton for fear of an army of indignant folks eagerly correcting me about her title. Just read comments on social media and you will see). I found myself half-watching King Charles III's coronation, and it all felt silly and surreal. Yes, I’m a bit biased, being from the generation that vividly remembers Prince Charles’ treatment of Princess Diana, and his infamous line “whatever in love means”. And perhaps that's why I'm writing this piece.

I had hoped Meghan Markle might carry on Diana's legacy but alas, that ship seems to have sailed faster than a corgi chasing a tennis ball. So here we are, smack in the middle of March, Women’s Month, and I just can't watch what's unfolding without tossing in my two cents for the Princess. Things are changing so fast though, and the news have been so absurd that parts of my letter may not age well in a few days, we will see. To add more weirdness to the news cycle, here is Queen Camila holding a Barbie modelled after her, gifted in recognition of her work as President of the Women of the World Foundation. Not a fan of the Queen, but hats off to her for this work. Hmmmm... maybe what the British monarchy really needs is a real life makeover a la Mattel for Barbie to bring this dusty yet glamorous institution to the 21st century. I would be the first in line to watch Greta Gerwig’s interpretation of it all.

See you next week for more good stuff. Scroll down, dive in and share your thoughts via email at info@matriark.com or post on our FB private chat. Thank you as always, and talk soon, xx

PS: If you are die hard monarchist, don't get bent out of shape about it. It's just a fantasy letter. 😉

Patricia

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Dear Catherine,

I hope this letter finds you well. The latest news compelled me to write to you, woman to woman, mother to mother. As the most powerful influencer in the world (pardon the word, but it’s true), it’s disheartening to watch your easy adherence to archaic norms, and your efforts to maintain a picture-perfect image while refraining from openly challenging the institution you belong to. I’m sure that striking a delicate balance between tradition and progress, public and private, old and new is not an easy thing to accomplish, but with all due respect, your actions are not helping women.