Sarah has revealed that she tried to contact the journalist following the
publication of what the majority of people would hopefully agree was a snide and hurtful article but says Pearson "had not had the good manners
to return my calls".
Continues Sarah, who was famously nicknamed the "Duchess of Pork" by
equally cruel commentators: "This woman, I would like to go to her house,
to see her family. Should we focus on her derriere?".
"You know what come and see me, come and
meet Beatrice, she'd be delighted."
The Duchess was speaking at a screening of her latest TV project, The Duchess
In Hull. The ITV show sees Weightwatchers spokeswoman Sarah moving in with a family to whom she offers advice on healthy living.
The series begins at 9pm on ITV1 next Monday (19th May 2008).
Comment: Mapleleaf, believe me, I don't disagree with you. But I think Sarah deserves a lot of the blame for the familiar manner in which Bea is, and will be, scrutinized by the media. Sarah introduced her daughters to a shallow world where people will judge them by their appearance and their bank accounts. If she encourages them to play with the rich and famous, they better be up to the terms of the game. Why didn’t she simply allow them to lead normal, private lives and let the emphasis be on their education? What really boggles the mind is when I think of how Sarah suffered at the hands of the media, not to mention her own self-esteem issues from childhood. For those reasons alone, you’d think she would have shielded her girls from the spotlight for as long as possible.
I agree that Sarah has done some wonderful things for charity; she has a good heart and she certainly appears to be a loving mother. And yes, it’s nice for Bea to want to emulate her, but it should be Sarah’s charity side, and not her celebrity side. There’s a fine line there and, unfortunately, Sarah hasn’t been very tidy about maintaining it. IMO, far too often she has acted more like a friend, and not like a mother. Could you imagine Princess Michael or the Duchess of Kent carrying on like this with their daughters? I think the comparison makes the absurdity of the situation even clearer. There you have two young, educated LADIES with titles. They do the odd bit for charity but they lead quiet, dignified lives. Beatrice and Eugenie would be wise to follow their example…and not that of Britney Spears or Kelly Osbourne.
Name: M-M
Comment: If Bea has been promoted as a celebrity with Royal connections (like her mother ) she will be treated like one in the Press .
I agree that the public condemnation of her figure and style of dressing is cruel , but so is Press treatment of Britney Spears and other fragile celebrities .
Bea should be aware that revealing practically all in public is not wise , it is handing over ammunition to those who are watching .
She could cultivate a better image (even at 19 ) if she wished to appear more royal rather than celebrity . Her mother has fuzzed the issue IMO .
Name: mapleleaf
Comment: Monika, I do understand what you're saying, but several critics including Allison Pearson commented on Bea's figure and her weight. As you mentioned, I don't think the press would've been automatically kind if Prince Beatrice had never been exposed to the media through the different appearances she's made with her mother. I think they would've crucified her anyway, because her body shape doesn't conform to the accepted standards of fitnes and beauty. Also, Bea stating that she wants to be a "mini mummy" shouldn't be considered by the media as something bad. Sarah has done some wonderful things for charity, and she's shown her children a tremendous amount of love and caring. I think those aspects of Sarah's personality are what Bea was referring to when she said she wanted to be like her mother. Such a statement shouldn't prompt the press to critique Bea's body. No 19 year old young woman should have to come under fire and be critiqued for their figure when they are on a personal holiday and minding their own business.
Name: Monika
Comment: No pun intended, but I believe there’s a bigger picture here than Bea’s weight and the fact that the press commented on it. Very early on, Sarah started exposing her daughters to the media in a way that was less than wise and completely unnecessary. I agree, they are teenagers, but that is precisely the reason why her goal should have been to protect their privacy and allow them to lead as normal a life as possible. An occasional appearance with their father at a royal family event should have sufficed.
I respect and appreciate that Sarah’s career requires a certain amount of networking and she has to ‘make the rounds,’ but she didn’t have to take her daughters along for the ride. Wasn’t it Sarah who allowed Bea to publicly state that she wants to be a junior mummy; wasn’t it Sarah who allowed herself to be photographed alongside Bea in curlers before their catwalk prance; hasn’t Sarah encouraged her daughters to attend Hollywood-type parties, etc, etc??? Talk about opening a can of worms!
I’m not suggesting the press would automatically be kind if Sarah never courted the public interest on her daughters’ behalf, but I just cannot understand that she didn’t see the consequences of her actions.
Name: exploora
Comment: In my opinion Pearson had a bias opinion related to Beatrice's figure, which according to standards of journalism, it isn't a "news" story at all but just an opinion about a person's figure, which is sort of unfair to make assumptions about a person based on something so subjective. Some people like women who are twiggy look a likes, fine, that is their opinion, but it is not a fair approach for a reporter doing a news story about a person's content of character based on the size of her posterior. It is, in my opinion, Pearson's story has a very bias slant and her biased opinion influenced the tone of the story, which in my opinion is very unprofessional if the story was meant to be a news item.
Name: mapleleaf
Comment: I applaud Sarah for defending her daughter. The comments weren't made about Bea socialising with 'bff' Kate Moss or P. Diddy or Naomi Campbell et al, they were made about Bea's body. The comments made by the critics were about Bea's size and her weight, specifically her thighs. Princess Beatrice is a 19 year old girl. She ought to be able to wear a bikini just like anyone else. Her stomach was flat and her waist is small. It's her hips and thighs that don't conform to accepted standards of being fit. Even though Bea has heavy thighs, she has a right to wear a swimsuit to the beach and frolic in the surf without her body being criticised.
Name: exploora
Comment: There is nothing more fun than lying around on a beach when you are in your early 20's, accept possibly piloting a Chinook helicopter on one's way to one's cousin's stag do. That would be fun too.
I am just saying no one looks perfect on a beach, because we are human beings not manikins.
Both Chelsy and Bea probably assumed they were in private, and possibly didn't realize they were being targeted by a member of the paparazzi.
And of course experience is something one gets after one needs it. And sadly, often by the time one is that experienced, one does not feel so comfortable hanging around half naked enjoying the sunshine on one's body.
I think Bea was having a good time and that is what freedom is about.
Possibly Bea could have chosen a swim suit that suited her body better, but she has the choice not to. It is not a crime to look comfortable in one's body when one is frolicking in the water on a beach.
And did either Chelsy or Bea sign a consent form to have their photos splashed around like that. Did they get Royalties? Didn't the "news" papers benefit from this "news" of the day somehow?
What I was trying to say Udyusa, we are not perfect, we are human, but to a bird who needs a bird house and a meal and possibly a bath a human when showing mercy to a bird can appear as a God when a human places a bird house, bird bath and food in his garden. There is a return from the mercy the human has shown to the bird because the bird is quiet beautiful to look at and he is sharing that beauty when hanging out in the human's garden, enjoying the bird bath, bird house and food.
These two said what I was trying to say better of course udyusa.
"The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed. It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.William Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice)
"Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of supply and demand; it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy".--Wendell Berry
Name: M-M
Comment: Good post Monika .
If Bea is less than universally popular it is partly because of Sarah's cultivation of 'best friends' Kate Moss , Sharon Osbourne , Puff Diddy , Naomi Campbell et al . These are not suitable pals for her daughters , and neither are the Geldof girls . She has been using her royal connections , particularly her daughters , to gain entree to celebrity events .
Bea(and Chelsy too as remarked by Exploora )need to learn not to hang out of their clothes in public . If they have a semi-public role , that is reason enough to learn how to conduct themselves with dignity .
The public is also perhaps a little resentful of Bea's 24/7 tax-payer funded Security going on while she has been mainly pictured frolicking on beaches with her BF
The key word for a royal is 'dignity' surely ?
Name: udyusa
Comment: Sorry Exploora, but I haven't a clue what you are trying to say. This girl is just getting to be more of a laughing stock and her mother, Sarah, is no help. Beatrice is just looking worse by the minute and no amount of 'help' by her mother is going to do her any good. She needs professionals to guide her. Hopefully she will get help one of these days. I, for one, can't wait as I am really tired of looking at the photos of this poor girl!
Name: exploora
Comment: I am sure Chelsy felt just as bad when her unflattering bikini pics were published in NoftheW. And probably everyone who has been mocked in a "news" paper, for what ever reason feels bad.
Sadly, the "Beatrice Bikini" story reveals more about our "news" papers than it does about Beatrice.
It isn't even news, that a young woman that age is on the beach and appears slightly overweight in the hip area. Almost everyone on the beach appears overweight somewhere.
Of course George Orwell went on about the two minutes of hate for a good reason, possibly because it is a powerful tool related to mind control and social engineering.
At one point I thought the owl family was a perfect example of a perfect family, until the mother owl started to eat two babies, and the third baby was denied food then eaten...and this appears to happen because there appears to be a scarcity of food.
Possibly a managerial technocracy could design a more perfect world than we have now, and maybe one day it will.
Nature is cruel of course, but we humans can and do make some things better. Many of us do hang pretty bird houses on our trees, after filling them up with bird feed and treats. And in return, we get to see a bird's beauty, which of course is only one of nature's wonders.
Yes I have a point . Being a tough chick is more than just about wearing leather and lace, it is about getting up after one is kicked to the ground while showing enough composure to not go ha ha ha, wait til I get even.
Name: Rachel
Comment: Good for you, Sarah! Well done.
Name: Monika
Comment: I can appreciate Sarah’s feelings and I applaud her for defending her daughter, however, isn’t it Sarah who has put her daughters ‘out there’ and, in doing so, opened them up to such criticism? IMO, they are her royal connection and she has used that to her advantage. I’m not suggesting that the girls should live under a rock, but Bea doesn’t have to do catwalk appearances with her mother and the girls certainly don’t need to rub noses with every celebrity Sarah has ever met. If she raises them like the average teen celebrity, then guess what…that’s how they will be treated. No, it doesn’t make it right, but it’s the reality of the situation and Sarah is old enough to know better.
But I think Sarah deserves a lot of the blame for the familiar manner in which Bea is, and will be, scrutinized by the media. Sarah introduced her daughters to a shallow world where people will judge them by their appearance and their bank accounts. If she encourages them to play with the rich and famous, they better be up to the terms of the game. Why didn’t she simply allow them to lead normal, private lives and let the emphasis be on their education? What really boggles the mind is when I think of how Sarah suffered at the hands of the media, not to mention her own self-esteem issues from childhood. For those reasons alone, you’d think she would have shielded her girls from the spotlight for as long as possible. 
