Dear Sir/Madam (sent to The Spectator, linked to the same article on the Mail Online)

Taffeta Gray’s ‘Downe Time: At school with Kate Middleton’ is utter nonsense.  I’m still struggling to believe that The Spectator gave this woman the time of day, let alone permit her to publish this unbelievably weak article.  Of course, I realise blaming The Spectator for giving her this time reeks of hypocrisy, as I now have to spend a proportion of my day writing this retort in contempt, but I’d rather be labelled a hypocrite with something to say than a charlatan flogging a non-story.

My point, and it’s an important one, is that the entire article hinges on media speculation as to why Miss Middleton has asked wedding guests and well-wishers to donate money to a British anti-bullying charity.  Let me repeat that: speculation.  What follows is almost a page-length’s autobiographical account of someone who went to school with her but, (as she was a couple of years above) didn’t actually know her, (I’m assuming Ms. Gray found those lucrative straws difficult to grasp).  This said, a loose thread of narrative does trail beneath the prose, moving through tales of self-harm and eating disorders, climaxing with the declaration that ‘Kate should use her high profile to raise awareness’ of such issues.

I must ask, why?  Although I’m sure she does not wish to see such practices continue, it is not her duty to do so.  It is also not her duty to request that monetary gifts be donated to an anti-bullying charity but (regardless of speculation and Ms. Gray’s contradictions), she has done so.   If Ms. Gray is right and Miss Middleton was never truly bullied, it means that her decision of choosing said charity was an altruistic one and not at all based on past experiences.  If the tabloids were correct, then Miss Middleton is giving something back to those she feels she still shares an affinity with.  Either way, it is a good thing to do and I respect her for it.  Who are you to challenge an educated woman’s decision, Ms. Gray?  Judging by the knowledge that this article stems from friends’ hearsay and tabloid journalism, I’d say a rather incompetent journalist.  Please do us all a favour and settle back into obscurity.

(Source: Daily Mail)