Weeks, let alone years, after Lady Diana Spencer started dating the Prince of Wales, the whole world knew her face. Not so, it would seem, the woman who may follow in her footsteps: Kate Middleton.

According to a fun story revealed by the Daily Mail's Richard Kay, despite living in an age of 24/7 media attention and ongoing reports that she'll marry the future King sooner rather than later, Prince William's longtime girlfriend continues to enjoy the kind of anonymity craved by the late Princess of Wales both before and, of course, after her engagement and marriage to the monarch's eldest son.

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Name: exploora

Comment: Lots of people start businesses without a lot of start up money, cause they are satisfying a market niche that is under-serviced. Regardless of personality or what have you, if you satisfy the customer's needs they will not only come back but tell their friends. Plus sizes, tall and large, petite sizes, all of these concepts were a reacion to what was lacking in the market offerings. You would have to actually count 1/2 size shoes, and people who would buy 1/2 sized shoes first, if available, to know for sure that there is a demand not being satisfied, thus a shortage of 1/2 sized shoes. Kate is lucky a shopper would ask her for info. Possibly the shopper thought Kate looked familiar and didn't know why. Kate could have used that opportunity to illicit info herself to find out what "women really want." Men seem to flood the market with things they want us to wear, resulting in rather chilly outfits at times. Consider Howard Hughs, he of course had money to start, but he also felt passion for what was missing, he invested when the investors were scepticle. You want to be a market leader, not a follower. Howard Hughs had issues, who doesn't? You don't focus on how steep the mountain is you are climbin, no you focus on the view you will see once you reach the peak. This could also be an analogy for life if it was just a journey, but often life is also a series of experiments.

Name: exploora

Comment: I sort of knew that, i think half sizes are hard to find, so i went back to the original store and got a size 7, and put two insoles in them, so there you go for gracious living. Not perfect, neither is the world. Sophie's case she was a PR expert, so it was a bit of a PR disaster. I think if Kate was doing well in her business, the media would make up a problem for her, the way they did for Sophie. The plus for Kate is name recognition. Charles is growing his "Duchy" I mean anything to do with gracious living I think would have a chance to work. Anything to do with PR, avoiding scandal ect, well the Royal family are not so great at that. It is almost a family curse, we all know the stories. But even Prince Harry can make headlines wearing a T shirt with a company logo on it, he seems to have been "drafted" to promote a beer. You have to fit the product with the gracious living part. The PR disaster could ruin any PR company. Part of it was the royal family issue, part of it was just a simple PR disaster for a PR company which is bound to lead to disaster for any PR company. It was a very cruel joke I think. Sophie built that company without name recognition at first. Newspapers shouldn't be making news, we have enough bad news as it is.

Name: Trudie	Comment: I have to say Susie may have a point here. Sophie Wessex worked hard to promote her company and make it successful before her marriage then Bham the fake sheik scandle brought it to a close. I like Kate she seems to have it together but if you were more interested in shoes than who is in the store it is funny that she was not reconized.

Name: Susie	Comment: Hi Exploora, just an fyi..a UK 6 1/2 is the same as a US 8 1/2

Name: exploora

Comment: Kate does look like a style expert, and very knowledgeable in shoes, she could probably sell a pair of hush puppies and make you feel you were avant guarde. Things are getting so impersonal now, even when I am in the hardware store and I say I will put that on my account, one clerk asked me if that was a staff account? Staff get a discount of course. So it happens all the time. Stores are so big and impersonal now, even some of the staff don't know the difference between the staff and their frequent shoppers. Often that is how a person gets a job in a store, I did. You read the magazines, know all the lastest styles etc. Shopping is an important occuptation, and Kate is not only benefitting the national economy by shopping, but she is also inspiring others to not give up while shopping, her enthusiasm is cathing so that another shopper can believe that somewhere in that pile of shoes, there will be a a size 6 1/2. Hooray for Kate.

Name: M-M	Comment: I agree with Exploora here . It's so easily done out of desperation - to assume anyone who looks as if they might help you is on the staff !

Name: exploora

Comment: I think the real story here is how hard it is to find shoes that are 6 1/2. I know 5 1/2 is almost impossible to find and people who should be 5 1/2 now wear size 6. I spent all day looking for a pair of shoes to fit, if I had seen Kate in the shoe store, carrying boxes of shoes, I too would have asked her if she had a pair of shoes I liked in size 6 1/2 in the pile. I often get stopped in the hardware store by customers asking me where things are, and I usually know. It is not a big deal. The big deal is finding a clerk to help.

Name: Susie

Comment: There was an article a couple of weeks ago saying that her start-up clothing company never got off the ground because her investors were nervous about a potential "Wessex effect" and that she couldn't really get a job without having to deal with what the Wessexes had to endure in the private sector. So perhaps everyone who is so quick to label her as "lazy" or make snide remarks about her lack of employment should be just a tad more charitable.

Name: Karmen Day

Comment: Aw, how cute someone thought she was working.... And as for people critisizing Kate for not having a "full-time job" it's more like critisizing her for not have ANY sort of job or responsibility! And they probably thought she worked there because all she seems to do (when not partying or vacationing with Wills) is shop!So it's not wonder the women thought she worked there, probably seen her there so much she figured she worked there!

Name: Trudie	Comment: Perhaps she really has a job

Name: Kathy Gebhardt	Comment: That's okay...after the wedding, the same people who are criticising Kate will turned two-faced in a heartbeat and say how great she is. LOL...silly people...